Textbook Question
Considering the phylogenetic assignment of Plasmodium falciparum, the malarial parasite, to the phylum Apicomplexa, what might you speculate as to whether the parasite is susceptible to aminoglycoside antibiotics?
422
views
22. Evolutionary Genetics
Phylogenetic Trees
Multiple Choice
How can DNA sequence data be useful in reconstructing phylogenetic relationships among species?
A
By proving that species with the same chromosome number must be each other’s closest relatives
B
By directly revealing an organism’s ecological niche, which uniquely determines its position on a phylogenetic tree
C
By measuring an organism’s metabolic rate to determine which species evolved first
D
By comparing homologous DNA sequences to estimate genetic similarity and infer common ancestry and branching order
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand that phylogenetic relationships represent the evolutionary connections among species, often depicted as a branching tree showing common ancestry.
Recognize that DNA sequence data provides molecular information by comparing homologous sequences—segments of DNA that are similar due to shared ancestry—across different species.
Use sequence alignment techniques to identify similarities and differences in the DNA sequences of the species being studied.
Calculate genetic distances based on the number of nucleotide differences between sequences; smaller differences suggest closer evolutionary relationships.
Construct a phylogenetic tree using methods such as maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, or neighbor-joining, which use the genetic distance data to infer the most likely branching order and common ancestors.
Related Videos
Related Practice
