Cladistics

Cladistics, a methodological approach in biological classification, has revolutionized our understanding of evolutionary relationships among organisms. Through the meticulous analysis of shared derived characteristics, cladistics reconstructs phylogenetic trees that depict the evolutionary history of life on Earth. This systematic framework, rooted in the principles of common ancestry and homology, offers invaluable insights into the diversification and interconnectedness of living organisms. By elucidating the evolutionary pathways and patterns of descent, cladistics serves as a powerful tool for biologists in unraveling the complexities of biodiversity and illuminating the evolutionary processes that have shaped the natural world.