Clades

A clade is a group of organisms that share a common ancestor, representing a branch on the tree of life. It includes the ancestor and all its descendants, showing how species are related through evolution. Think of it like a family tree: all members of a clade descend from a single, shared ancestor. Clades help scientists understand the evolutionary history and relationships among different species, whether plants, animals, or microbes. They are fundamental to the study of biology because they reveal how life forms are connected through evolutionary processes.