VGCC Biology Simple and Complex Bird Cladogram Project

Submit photographs or scanned copies of your results from Parts A, B, & C. In Part A, you must include photographs of each of your taxa with their labels in addition to a final cladogram (scanned or photographed). In Parts B and C, you must include photographs or scans of your filled out character matrices and final cladograms. Make sure to include labelled dashes to indicate the evolution and loss of traits.

Cladistics Exercise Submission Checklist:

• Part A: 10 labeled images of each taxon
• Part A: final cladogram
• Part B: character matrix
• Part B: final cladogram
• Part C: character matrix
• Part C: final cladogram

PART A – HOUSEHOLD OBJECTS

1. 1. Select 10 household objects to use as your “taxa” (anything you find laying around your home).
   2. Document your “taxa” by taking photos of them and labeling them either by placing a handwritten label in the frame with the object(s) or by editing the photo to include a text label. Think of it as cataloging the species your studying!
   3. Define and describe your characters using whatever criteria you want (e.g. morphology, physiology, development, etc.). You can make a character matrix to help you make your cladogram, but you do not need to turn it in.
   4. Draw your cladogram making sure to indicate all of your characters with labeled dashes like in the example walkthrough in the video (Cladistics Exercise Part III).

PART B – SIMPLE BIRD CLADOGRAM

1. 1. Review the four taxa and eight characters provided in “Simple Bird Example.pdf“.
   2. Fill out the character matrix.
   3. Draw the most parsimonious cladogram making sure to indicate character evolution and losses with labelled dashes.

PART C – COMPLEX BIRD CLADOGRAM

1. 1. Review the ten taxa and ten characters provided in “Complex Bird Example.pdf“.
   2. Fill out the character matrix.
   3. Draw the most parsimonious cladogram making sure to indicate character evolution and losses with labelled dashes.