Clade

A clade is a group of organisms that includes an ancestor and all its descendants, forming a branch on the tree of life. This concept helps scientists organize biological diversity by identifying how species are related through evolution. For example, humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas share a clade because they descended from a common ancestor. Clades can vary in size, from large groups like mammals to smaller ones like a specific family of birds. Understanding clades allows researchers to study the evolutionary relationships and history of different species more effectively.