cladogenesis

(noun)

An evolutionary splitting event in which each branch and its smaller branches forms a clade.

Related Terms

Examples of cladogenesis in the following topics:

  • The Fossil Record and the Evolution of the Modern Horse

    • Both anagenesis, a gradual change in an entire population's gene frequency, and cladogenesis, a population "splitting" into two distinct evolutionary branches, occurred, and many species coexisted with "ancestor" species at various times.