What is a key feature of cladograms?

A key feature of cladograms is their ability to illustrate evolutionary relationships among different species or groups. Cladograms are tree-like diagrams that depict how various organisms are related through descent from common ancestors. The branches of the cladogram represent these relationships and show the divergence of species over time based on shared characteristics and genetic lineage.

In contrast, some of the other options do not accurately represent the main purpose of a cladogram. Although genetic mutations might be important in the study of evolution, they are not directly displayed in cladograms. Cladograms focus on the branching patterns of descent rather than specific mutations. Mapping physical characteristics is more related to morphological studies and does not encapsulate the formal relationships encoded in a cladogram. Representation of population sizes involves different types of data visualizations, such as population pyramids or graphs, rather than the evolutionary relationships depicted in cladograms. Therefore, the correct understanding aligns with the idea that cladograms are fundamentally about illustrating how species are evolutionarily connected.