Questions: Which statement best explains how to draw a cladogram that includes the rynchosaur?
Transcript text: Which statement best explains how to draw a cladogram that includes the rynchosaur?
Solution
Solution Steps
Step 1: Consider the Rynchosaur's Classification
Rynchosaurs are diapsids, more closely related to archosaurs (birds and crocodilians) than to lepidosaurs (lizards and snakes). They are not amphibians.
Step 2: Cladogram Construction Logic
A single cladogram should reflect the most likely evolutionary relationships based on shared derived characteristics (synapomorphies). Multiple cladograms can represent competing hypotheses, but voting isn't the standard method for resolving scientific disputes. Evidence and further analysis are used to refine our understanding.
Step 3: Identify the Best Approach
Since rynchosaurs are a specific group within the reptile lineage, a single cladogram depicting reptile relationships, including the placement of rynchosaurs based on their characteristics, would be the best approach.