Question 1

Which of the following best describes a monophyletic group (clade) in a phylogenetic tree?

Accepted Answer

A group that includes a single ancestor and all of its descendants.

Question 2

In a phylogenetic tree, what does a node represent?

Accepted Answer

A common ancestor from which descendant taxa diverge.

Question 3

Why are phylogenetic trees considered hypotheses?

Accepted Answer

Because they are inferred from available data and subject to revision as new data and methods become available.

Question 4

Which of the following is a synapomorphy?

Accepted Answer

A trait shared by two or more taxa and their most recent common ancestor, but not by more distant ancestors.

Question 5

Which scenario best illustrates homoplasy?

Accepted Answer

Wings in bats and birds, which evolved independently due to similar selective pressures.

Question 6

Given a character matrix for four taxa, how many possible phylogenetic trees can be constructed?

Accepted Answer

$$15$$

Question 7

Which of the following biases affects the fossil record by making fossils of organisms with hard parts more common than those with soft tissue?

Accepted Answer

Tissue bias

Question 8

What is the main difference between adaptive radiations and mass extinctions?

Accepted Answer

Adaptive radiations involve rapid diversification of species from a single ancestor, while mass extinctions involve rapid loss of many species due to environmental changes.

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a use of phylogenetic trees in real-world applications?

Accepted Answer

Determining the exact age of fossils using radiometric dating.

Question 10

Which group is considered paraphyletic?

Accepted Answer

A group that includes some, but not all, descendants of a single ancestor.

Question 11

Which evolutionary event is most likely to occur after the colonization of a new ecological niche?

Accepted Answer

Adaptive radiation

Question 12

Which of the following statements about the fossil record is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

Rapid burial prior to decay increases the likelihood of fossilization.

Question 13

Which method is used to infer the most likely phylogenetic tree by minimizing the number of evolutionary changes?

Accepted Answer

Parsimony

Question 14

Which of the following best describes a polyphyletic group?

Accepted Answer

A group that includes descendants from two or more ancestors, excluding their common ancestor.

Question 15

Which of the following is an example of a real-world consequence of the current (Anthropocene) mass extinction?

Accepted Answer

Loss of ecosystem functions leading to further degradation and species loss.

Question 16

Which of the following is a derived character state?

Accepted Answer

A trait that has been modified in one or more descendants compared to the ancestor.

Question 17

Which of the following is a challenge when using morphological traits to infer phylogenies?

Accepted Answer

Homoplasy can cause unrelated taxa to appear closely related due to similar traits.

Question 18

Which of the following best explains why the number of possible phylogenetic trees increases rapidly with the number of taxa?

Accepted Answer

The number of possible arrangements grows factorially with the number of taxa.

Question 19

Which of the following is a correct interpretation of branch rotation in a phylogenetic tree?

Accepted Answer

The order of tips or nodes is not relevant; only the branching order matters.

Phylogenies and Tree Thinking: Study Notes for General Biology

Study Guide - Practice Questions

Study Guide - Flashcards