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Introduction to Phylogeny:
Rotating a Cladogram at a Node


Cladograms can be rotated at any node without changing the relationships between sister taxa. In fact, all that matters in a cladogram is which lineages (taxa) descend from which particular nodes. Rotation does not change these relationships. It is like an upside down hanging mobile, with individual parts free to swivel freely at the thread attachment points (nodes). One possible rotation is illustrated below.




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This page was first written on August 31, 2000 and last modified on September 13, 2001.

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