Biology CLEP Prep Practice Exam

In a cladogram, what do the branches represent?

1. Clades

2. Populations

3. Mutations

4. Genes

The correct answer is: Clades

The branches in a cladogram represent the evolution of a group of organisms from a common ancestor. Each branch represents a clade, or a group of organisms that share a common ancestor and evolutionary history. Therefore, options B, C, and D are incorrect as they do not accurately describe the purpose of branches in a cladogram. Populations refer to a group of individuals of the same species in a given area, mutations refer to changes in genetic material, and genes are units of heredity that code for a specific characteristic. While these may be involved in the evolutionary process, they are not represented by the branches in a cladogram.