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Glite Dictionary
cladistic analysis

cladistic analysis

9.2
A method that groups species by their common ancestors using tree diagrams
  • noun
  • /kləˈdɪstɪk əˈnælɪsɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : análisis cladístico
  • The cladistic analysis revealed unexpected relationships among the species.

Examples

  • Researchers conducted a cladistic analysis to determine the evolutionary history of the species.

  • The results of the cladistic analysis were published in a leading scientific journal.

  • Recent advances in genetic data have improved the accuracy of cladistic analysis in classifying plant families.

  • Did you understand the cladistic analysis presented in class?

  • The scientist conducted a cladistic analysis to better understand the evolutionary relationships among different bird species.

  • In her research on reptiles, she emphasized the importance of cladistic analysis in determining their ancestral connections.

  • A recent cladistic analysis revealed surprising links between ancient fish and modern amphibians.

Synonyms

cladistics
vscladistic analysis
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A way of grouping animals and plants by their family history using branching tree diagrams

focuses specifically on classifying species rather than all organisms

Surface Forms

cladistic analysis singular
cladistic analyses plural

Morphology

cladistic + analysis

The phrase is fully compositional: 'cladistic' (relating to classification by shared ancestry) simply modifies 'analysis' (systematic examination), so the meaning — an analysis based on cladistic principles — is directly derivable from the constituents. Although 'cladistic' is technical, if a learner knows that word the adjective+noun combination follows normal English patterns and is immediately understandable.

Etymology

The term cladistic analysis comes from the Greek word 'klados' meaning 'branch', so cladistic is about branches and analysis is about studying. Scientists draw species as branches on a family tree, so the phrase means 'a way of studying how species are related'.