Lineage Logic Worksheet Lineage Logic
Evolutionary Relationships & Cladogram Construction
Name: __________________________________
Date: _________________ Period: _________
Part 1: The Human Branch
Sketch a simple "family tree" starting with yourself and tracing back to your great-grandparents. Use lines to represent connections and circles/squares for individuals.
Reflection: Who is the "Common Ancestor" shared by you and your first cousin? _____________________
Part 2: Speciation & Adaptive Radiation
Watch Video Segment: 5:02 – 8:00
Common Ancestry
The narrator compares wolves and coyotes. Briefly explain why they are considered "genetic cousins."
Adaptive Radiation
What event 65 million years ago triggered the radiation of placental mammals?
Part 3: Plant Evolution Construction
1. Characteristic Matrix
Mark a check (✓) if the organism possesses the trait.
Organism Vascular Tissue Seeds Flowers/Fruit Moss (Outgroup) Fern Pine Tree Rose Bush
2. Draw Your Cladogram
Using the data above, construct a cladogram. Label each derived character on the main lineage and place the taxa at the ends of the branches. Circle the nodes (speciation events).
Which organism is most closely related to the Rose Bush? Why?
Label the common ancestor of Ferns and Pines on your diagram with an "A".
EXTENSION: How would a mass extinction event affect the "branching" of this tree?
Lineage Logic Slides Lineage & Links
Analyzing Phylogeny, Speciation, and the History of Life
AP Biology Evolution Unit
Warm-Up: The Human Branch
On your worksheet, sketch your family tree back to your great-grandparents.
Consider this:
"If you share a set of grandparents, they are the 'Common Ancestor' of you and your cousins."
How many "Speciation Events" (splits) do you see in your own lineage?
What is a Species?
Biological Species Concept
"A group of organisms capable of breeding to produce fertile offspring."
Mule
Horse + Donkey
Infertile
Labrador
Yellow + Black
Fertile
Crucial Factor
Isolation must occur to prevent gene pools from mixing.
The Engine of Speciation
Geographic Isolation
Physical barriers (mountains, rivers, canyons) separate a population into distinct groups.
Case Study: Grand Canyon
Kaibab Squirrel (North Rim)
Abert's Squirrel (South Rim)
Outcome: No gene flow = Two distinct species over time.
"Geography dictates the path of natural selection."
Speciation & Ancestry
Segment: 5:02 – 8:00
Embedded media
Topic: Wolves & Coyotes
Topic: Adaptive Radiation
Adaptive Radiation
The Definition
Rapid diversification of a single ancestor into many new species that fill specific ecological niches.
Explosive Evolution
The Trigger
Mass extinction of dinosaurs 65 mya cleared ecological "space."
The Result
Small mammals radiated into whales, bats, horses, and primates.
Patterns of Evolution
Divergent
Species share a Common Ancestor and branch into different forms.
Evidence:
Homologous Structures
Convergent
Unrelated species develop Similar Traits due to shared environments.
Evidence:
Analogous Structures
Cladogram Construction
The Mission
Map the evolutionary history of plant lineages using specific derived traits.
Taxa (Groups)
Moss (Outgroup)
Fern
Pine Tree
Rose Bush
Workflow
Matrix: Complete the trait grid on your worksheet.
Identify Outgroup: Find the organism with 0 traits.
Sort Traits: Most common traits come first on the line.
Sketch: Draw branches, tips, and label the derived traits.
Discussion: Chaos & Trees
"How do mass extinctions rewrite the tree of life?"
Are they merely 'pruning' tools, or do they reinvent the entire forest?
Pruning Branches
The collapse of diversity and specialized lineages.
Sprouting Niches
The "Firework Effect" of rapid adaptive radiation.
Lineage Logic Anchor Chart Branching Out
A Guide to Evolutionary Phylogeny
Speciation
The evolutionary process by which populations evolve to become distinct species.
The Goal:
Producing fertile offspring . If they can't mate and produce fertile babies, they aren't the same species!
Isolation Types
1
Geographic
Physical barriers (Rivers, Canyons).
2
Reproductive
Behavioral or physiological mismatches.
3
Temporal
Different mating seasons or times of day.
Anatomy of a Cladogram
NODE (Ancestor)
TAXA (Species)
DERIVED CHARACTER
NODE: A point representing a common ancestor and a speciation event.
CLADE: A group of organisms including the ancestor and all descendants.
DERIVED CHARACTER: A trait that arose in the most recent common ancestor.
Adaptive Radiation
"When one branch turns into a firework display."
Rapid diversification triggered by new niches or mass extinctions . Think: Mammals after the dinosaurs vanished!
Divergent Evolution
Branching apart from a common root.
Evidence: Homologous Structures
Example: Human arm & Bat wing. Same bones, different jobs.
Convergent Evolution
Merging toward similar solutions.
Evidence: Analogous Structures
Example: Shark fin & Dolphin flipper. Similar job, different origin.
Lineage Logic Teacher Guide Teacher Facilitation Guide
AP Biology / Advanced HS
Lesson: Lineage & Links (Speciation & Phylogeny)
Learning Objectives
Define a species using the Biological Species Concept .
Analyze how geographic isolation leads to reproductive isolation and speciation.
Construct and interpret cladograms based on derived characters.
Compare divergent and convergent evolution with anatomical evidence.
Pacing Guide (60-minute block)
<table class="w-full text-sm"><tbody><tr class="border-b border-slate-100"><td class="py-2 font-bold text-emerald-700">00-05 min</td><td class="py-2">Warm-Up: Family Tree Sketch</td></tr><tr class="border-b border-slate-100"><td class="py-2 font-bold text-emerald-700">05-20 min</td><td class="py-2">Direct Instruction (Slides 1-5)</td></tr><tr class="border-b border-slate-100"><td class="py-2 font-bold text-emerald-700">20-35 min</td><td class="py-2">Video Segment & Discussion Questions</td></tr><tr class="border-b border-slate-100"><td class="py-2 font-bold text-emerald-700">35-55 min</td><td class="py-2">Main Activity: Cladogram Construction</td></tr><tr class="border-b border-slate-100"><td class="py-2 font-bold text-emerald-700">55-60 min</td><td class="py-2">Exit Ticket / Extension Discussion</td></tr></tbody></table>
Preparation Checklist
Print "Lineage Logic" Worksheets (1 per student)
Display "Lineage Logic" Slide Deck
Load YouTube Video (Timestamp 5:02)
Have colored pencils available for sketching.
Instructional Keys
Common Misconception Alert
Students often believe evolution happens to individuals during their lifetime (Lamarckian thinking).
Correction: Emphasize that speciation is a population-level process resulting from shifts in allele frequencies over generations.
Video Discussion Prompts
At 6:25: "Why did mammals survive the extinction event when dinosaurs didn't? How did this lead to adaptive radiation?"At 7:00: "What does the 'branch' on a tree actually represent in terms of DNA?"
Activity Facilitation: Plant Cladograms
The Strategy: Walk around as students complete the matrix. If a student is stuck on the tree structure, have them identify the "Outgroup" first (Moss). The Outgroup is the branch that branches off before any of the derived characters appear.
Lineage Logic Answer Key Answer Key
Lineage Logic Worksheet
TEACHER USE ONLY
Lineage and Links Lesson
Part 1 Reflection
Who is the "Common Ancestor" shared by you and your first cousin?
Grandparents (Maternal or Paternal)
Part 2 Video Analysis
Common Ancestry:
They both descended from the Leptocyon (an extinct organism) millions of years ago.
Adaptive Radiation:
The mass extinction of the dinosaurs. This opened new niches/roles for mammals to fill.
Part 3: Characteristic Matrix
Organism Vascular Tissue Seeds Flowers/Fruit Moss (Outgroup) — — — Fern ✓ — — Pine Tree ✓ ✓ — Rose Bush ✓ ✓ ✓
Cladogram Layout Logic
Moss Fern Pine Rose Vascular Tissue Seeds Flowers
Note: Students may draw a diagonal/V-shaped cladogram as well; the order of branching and trait placement is what matters.
Short Answer Key
Close Relative:
The Pine Tree. They share the most recent common ancestor and have the most traits in common (Seeds & Vascular Tissue).
Extension (Mass Extinction):
It would "prune" many branches, possibly including entire lineages. Survivors would then undergo adaptive radiation, creating a sudden "burst" of new branches (the firework effect) as they fill empty ecological niches.
