Phylogenetic Trees

Definition

A phylogenetic tree is a diagram that represents the evolutionary relationships among various species or other entities that are believed to have a common ancestor.

Related terms

Cladogram: A type of phylogenetic tree that only shows relative relationships between species, not time or amount of change.

Branches: In a phylogenetic tree, branches represent populations through time.

Root: The root of the phylogenetic tree represents the most recent common ancestor of all entities on the tree.