Exam 26: Phylogeny and the Tree of Life

The question refers to the following table, which compares the percent sequence homology of four different parts (two introns and two exons)of a gene that is found in five different eukaryotic species. Each part is numbered to indicate its distance from the promoter (for example, Intron I is the one closest to the promoter). The data reported for species A were obtained by comparing DNA from one member of species A to another member of species A. % Sequence Homology Species Intron I Exon I Intron VI Exon V A 100\% 100\% 100\% 100\% B 98\% 99\% 82\% 96\% C 98\% 99\% 89\% 96\% D 99\% 99\% 92\% 97\% E 98\% 99\% 80\% 94\% Regarding these sequence homology data, the principle of maximum parsimony would be applicable in ________.

The following question refers to the following phylogenetic trees. Which tree depicts the microsporidians as a sister group of the ascomycetes?

Which of the following pairs are the best examples of homologous structures?

Which of the following statements is accurate, at least according to our present knowledge?

Concerning growth in genome size over evolutionary time, which of these is least associated with the others?

Some molecular data place the giant panda in the bear family (Ursidae)but place the lesser panda in the raccoon family (Procyonidae). If the molecular data best reflect the evolutionary history of these two groups, then the morphological similarities of these two species is most likely due to ________.

The relative lengths of the frog and mouse branches in the phylogenetic tree in Figure 26.13 indicate that

Given that phylogenies are based on shared derived characteristics, which of the following traits is useful in generating a phylogeny of species W, X, Y, and Z? Species W Species X Species Y Species Z Trait 1 Trait 2 Trait 3

The term convergent evolution is most applicable to which of the following features?

Your professor wants you to construct a phylogenetic tree of orchids. She gives you tissue from seven orchid species and one lily. What is the most likely reason she gave you the lily?

The following question refers to the following phylogenetic trees. Which tree depicts the closest relationship between zygomycetes and chytrids?

In the phylogenetic trees, numbers represent species, and the same species are shown in both trees. Which two species are represented as sister species in Tree 2 but are not shown as sister species in Tree 1?

Use the figure to answer the following question. If the figure is an accurate depiction of relatedness, then which of the following should be an accurate statement?

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? Dogs and wolves ________.

If you were using cladistics to build a phylogenetic tree of cats, which of the following would be the best outgroup?

The best classification system is that which most closely ________.

If additional DNA sequence evidence shows that yeast genes for synthesizing proteins are more similar to protein-synthesizing genes in bacteria than those in archaea, a modern systematist would ________.

The following phylogeny shows six living species (a-f)and five ancestral (now extinct)species (#1-5). If the phylogeny had been developed on the basis of similarities in bone structure, which of the following predictions would you make in terms of the structure of a particular enzyme?

Phylogenetic trees constructed from evidence from molecular systematics are based on similarities in ________.

The importance of computers and of computer software to modern systematics s is most closely linked to advances in ________.