noun
- plural of clade: groups of organisms that include an ancestor and all its descendants
Usage: biology; taxonomy
Examples
- Scientists classify animals into different clades based on evolutionary relationships.
- Birds and reptiles belong to separate clades in the phylogenetic tree.
- The researcher studied three major clades of flowering plants.
- These clades diverged from a common ancestor millions of years ago.
- DNA analysis helped identify new clades within the species complex.
- The fossil evidence supports the existence of these ancient clades.