Question 1

Which of the following best describes the difference between systematics and cladistics?

Accepted Answer

Systematics is the study of biological diversity and relationships, while cladistics is a method within systematics that groups organisms based on shared derived characters.

Question 2

In a phylogenetic tree, what is the primary distinction between a basal taxon and an outgroup?

Accepted Answer

A basal taxon is a lineage that diverges early and remains unbranched, while an outgroup is a taxon outside the group being studied, used for comparison.

Question 3

Which of the following taxonomic names includes the fewest number of species?

Accepted Answer

Panthera

Question 4

Refer to the phylogenetic tree with taxa A-F. If new evidence shows that taxon E is the sister taxon of a group consisting of taxa D and F, which tree best represents this relationship?

Accepted Answer

The tree where E is grouped with D and F as a sister taxon.

Question 5

Animals that possess homologous structures probably _____.

Accepted Answer

evolved from the same ancestor

Question 6

Which cellular structure is common to all three domains of life?

Accepted Answer

Phospholipid bilayer cell membrane

Question 7

Which of the following is true of all horizontally oriented phylogenetic trees, where time advances to the right?

Accepted Answer

The common ancestor represented by the rightmost branch point existed more recently in time than the common ancestors represented at branch points located to the left.

Question 8

Which statement represents the best explanation for the observation that the nuclear DNA of wolves and domestic dogs has a very high degree of sequence homology?

Accepted Answer

Dogs and wolves shared a common ancestor very recently.

Question 9

In the phylogenetic tree with taxa A-F, which of the following statements is correct?

Accepted Answer

Taxa E and F are sister taxa.

Question 10

Linnaeus was a 'fixist' who believed that species remained fixed in the form in which they had been created. Linnaeus would have been uncomfortable with:

Accepted Answer

phylogenies.

Question 11

The term homoplasy is most applicable to which of the following structures?

Accepted Answer

the similar DNA sequence found in lizards and land snails but not in their ancestors or sister species.

Question 12

The best classification system is that which most closely:

Accepted Answer

reflects evolutionary history.

Question 13

Which of the following is a shared derived character of mammals, as seen in the phylogenetic tree with lancelet, lamprey, bass, frog, turtle, and leopard?

Accepted Answer

Hair

Question 14

In the phylogenetic tree with lancelet, lamprey, bass, frog, turtle, and leopard, which taxon is considered the basal taxon?

Accepted Answer

Lancelet

Question 15

Which of the following best describes a monophyletic group?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 16

Which scenario best illustrates a polyphyletic group?

Accepted Answer

Grouping birds and mammals together based on warm-bloodedness, excluding their common ancestor.

Question 17

If a phylogenetic tree shows a polytomy, what does this indicate?

Accepted Answer

There is uncertainty about the evolutionary relationships among the taxa at that branch point.

Question 18

Which of the following is a shared ancestral character for tetrapods in the phylogenetic tree with lancelet, lamprey, bass, frog, turtle, and leopard?

Accepted Answer

Vertebral column

Question 19

Given the following scenario: In a phylogenetic tree, the fewer branch points that occur between two taxa, the more divergent their DNA sequences should be. Is this statement correct?

Accepted Answer

No, because fewer branch points indicate a closer evolutionary relationship and less DNA divergence.

Study Guide: Systematics, Cladistics, and Phylogenetic Trees (Chapter 26)

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