Phylogeny & The Tree Of Life

Why are phylogenetic trees considered hypotheses?

Researchers can use molecular homologies to __________.

Which of the following is a true statement concerning horizontal gene transfer?

Which of the following is an assumption that should be made when reading a phylogenetic tree?

Looking at the character table and phylogenetic tree above, which of the following is a true statement?

A phylogenetic tree of bird families constructed by cladistic analysis would be a hypothesis about which of the following?

What is the basis for the use of a molecular clock to determine the absolute time of evolutionary change?

Rabbits and guinea pigs both belong to class Mammalia. This means they must also both belong to __________.

In cladistics, biologists attempt to place species into groups that each include an ancestral species and all of its descendants. A group that is paraphyletic fails to accomplish this goal in what way?

By applying a molecular clock, researchers have proposed that the first HIV-1 M invasion into humans occurred in the __________.

What is a primary reason why a three-domain taxonomic scheme has been adopted over the previous five-kingdom taxonomic scheme?

Which of the following would be the least useful in determining the relationships among various species?

A taxon __________.

The binomial system assigns to each organism a unique name that describes its __________.

What is the relationship between systematics and taxonomy?

Which of the following best summarizes the neutral theory?

To which domain is the domain Eukarya (the domain to which humans belong) most closely related?

A bald eagle and a black bear both have four limbs with digits because they are both tetrapods, descendants of a four-limbed ancestor. In this comparison, the limbs of the eagle and the bear are what type of structure?

The term polytomy refers to a situation in which __________.

If you wanted to determine the lineage of plants that have evolved on a relatively young archipelago—approximately 15,000 years old—what type of nucleic acid should you compare?

Sister taxa on a phylogenetic tree are defined as groups that __________.

Birds and mammals have a four-chambered heart, but most reptiles have a three-chambered heart. How does this fact affect the construction of phylogenetic trees for these groups?

In a cladistic approach to systematics, an outgroup is __________.

Two genes are recognized as orthologous if __________.

The principle of maximum parsimony is applied to the process of constructing a phylogenetic tree in what way?

Which of the following is the correct order of taxonomic levels in the Linnean system of classification, from most to least inclusive?

Using cladistic analysis, a taxonomist wishes to construct a phylogenetic tree showing the relationships among various species of mammals. Which of the following would be the least useful for this purpose?

The idea of using molecules as clocks to time evolutionary events is very attractive, but there are many problems in actually applying the technique. What seems to be the best way to get reliable results?

Three living species X, Y, and Z share a common ancestor T, as do extinct species U and V. A grouping that consists of species T, X, Y, and Z (but not U or V) makes up __________.

The separate lineages leading to dolphins and sharks both evolved streamlined bodies, dorsal fins, and broad tail fins as adaptations to efficient locomotion in a marine environment. In this comparison, the bodies and fins of dolphins and sharks are what type of structures?