cladistics

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cladistics The application of phylogenetic systematics to produce a taxonomic system that is applied to the study of evolutionary relationships. In the cladograms used to portray these relationships, cladogenesis always creates two equal sister groups: the branching is dichoto-mous. Thus each pair of sister groups constitutes a monophyletic group with a common stem taxon, unique to the group. Monophyletic groups are deduced by identifying synapomorphic character states.

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