What process describes evolution through the branching of a species or lineage?

What process describes evolution through the branching of a species or lineage?

• A. Cladogenesis
• B. Anagenesis
• C. Allopatric speciation
• D. Sympatric speciation

Answer: (A)

Cladogenesis is evolution through branching of a species or lineage into two or more descendant lineages, which is how biodiversity increases when one ancestral form splits to give rise to multiple species. This branching is the pattern seen on phylogenetic trees as forks that create new lineages. In contrast, anagenesis is evolutionary change within a single lineage without any splitting, so it doesn’t describe branching. Allopatric and sympatric speciation are mechanisms that can drive the formation of new branches, but the term that explicitly denotes the creation of multiple lineages from a common ancestor is cladogenesis.

Cladogenesis is evolution through branching of a species or lineage into two or more descendant lineages, which is how biodiversity increases when one ancestral form splits to give rise to multiple species. This branching is the pattern seen on phylogenetic trees as forks that create new lineages. In contrast, anagenesis is evolutionary change within a single lineage without any splitting, so it doesn’t describe branching. Allopatric and sympatric speciation are mechanisms that can drive the formation of new branches, but the term that explicitly denotes the creation of multiple lineages from a common ancestor is cladogenesis.