Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

A group that includes an ancestral species and all of its descendants.

Question 2

A scientist is comparing the DNA sequences of two closely related bird species. She finds that their sequences differ at only a few sites. What does this suggest about their evolutionary relationship?

Accepted Answer

They share a recent common ancestor and are closely related.

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of an analogous trait?

Accepted Answer

Wings of bats and wings of insects, which evolved independently for flight.

Question 4

In the hierarchical classification system, which taxonomic level is broader than 'Order' but narrower than 'Kingdom'?

Accepted Answer

Phylum

Question 5

A phylogenetic tree shows that mammals and reptiles share a common ancestor not shared by amphibians. In this tree, mammals and reptiles are considered:

Accepted Answer

Sister taxa

Question 6

Which of the following statements about phylogenetic trees is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

The order in which taxa appear at the tips is significant for evolutionary relationships.

Question 7

Which method assumes that the simplest explanation, requiring the fewest evolutionary changes, is most likely correct when constructing phylogenetic trees?

Accepted Answer

Maximum parsimony

Question 8

A researcher uses a molecular clock to estimate the divergence time between two species. Which assumption is critical for this method?

Accepted Answer

The number of nucleotide substitutions is proportional to the time since divergence.

Question 9

Which of the following best describes horizontal gene transfer (HGT)?

Accepted Answer

The movement of genes from one genome to another, often between different species.

Question 10

Which of the following is a shared derived character (synapomorphy) for mammals?

Accepted Answer

Hair

Question 11

A group of species includes their most recent common ancestor and some, but not all, of its descendants. This group is:

Accepted Answer

Paraphyletic

Question 12

Which of the following is TRUE regarding the use of outgroups in phylogenetic analysis?

Accepted Answer

Outgroups help determine which characters are ancestral within the ingroup.

Question 13

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates convergent evolution?

Accepted Answer

Dolphins (mammals) and sharks (fish) both have streamlined bodies for swimming.

Question 14

Which of the following is an example of an orthologous gene?

Accepted Answer

The cytochrome c gene in humans and the cytochrome c gene in dogs.

Question 15

If a phylogenetic tree's branch lengths are proportional to the number of genetic changes, what does a longer branch indicate?

Accepted Answer

More genetic changes have occurred in that lineage.

Question 16

Which of the following statements about the three-domain system is correct?

Accepted Answer

Eukarya is more closely related to Archaea than to Bacteria.

Question 17

Which of the following is a potential consequence of failing to account for insertions and deletions when aligning DNA sequences for phylogenetic analysis?

Accepted Answer

Overlooking otherwise good sequence matches and misinterpreting evolutionary relationships.

Question 18

Which of the following best describes the principle of phylogenetic bracketing?

Accepted Answer

Predicting that features shared by two closely related groups are present in their common ancestor and all descendants.

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a correct statement about binomial nomenclature?

Accepted Answer

The specific epithet is capitalized and precedes the genus name.

Question 20

A group of species is found to include distantly related species but not their most recent common ancestor. This group is:

Accepted Answer

Polyphyletic

Phylogeny, Systematics, and the Tree of Life: Study Notes

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