Evolutionary Relationships
Biology ⇒ Evolution and Diversity
Evolutionary Relationships starts at 9 and continues till grade 12.
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A phylogenetic tree shows that species A and B share a more recent common ancestor with each other than with species C. What does this indicate about their evolutionary relationship?
A scientist is comparing the DNA sequences of two species and finds a 5% difference. What does this suggest about their evolutionary relationship?
Describe how comparative anatomy can provide evidence for evolutionary relationships.
Describe how fossil evidence can be used to infer evolutionary relationships.
Describe the difference between a monophyletic, paraphyletic, and polyphyletic group.
Describe the role of shared derived characteristics in constructing a cladogram.
Explain the difference between homologous and analogous structures, providing an example of each.
Explain the significance of molecular clocks in studying evolutionary relationships.
Explain why analogous structures do not indicate close evolutionary relationships.
Explain why evolutionary relationships are considered hypotheses rather than facts.
Explain why mitochondrial DNA is often used in studies of evolutionary relationships.
A researcher is constructing a phylogenetic tree using both morphological and molecular data. Explain one potential conflict that might arise between these two types of data and how it could affect the interpretation of evolutionary relationships.
A scientist is analyzing the amino acid sequences of a particular protein in four different species. She finds that Species X and Y have only 2 differences, Species X and Z have 8 differences, and Species X and W have 15 differences. Based on this data, which species is most closely related to Species X?
Describe how the principle of parsimony is applied when constructing phylogenetic trees and why it is important.
Explain why the use of multiple genes or genomic regions is preferred over a single gene when inferring evolutionary relationships among species.
A researcher finds that two species share a unique genetic mutation not found in any other species. What does this suggest about their evolutionary relationship?
A scientist is studying three species: Species A, B, and C. DNA analysis shows that Species A and B share 98% of their DNA, while Species A and C share 92%, and Species B and C share 91%. Based on this data, construct a possible phylogenetic relationship among these species and justify your reasoning.
Describe the limitations of using only morphological characteristics to determine evolutionary relationships among organisms.
Explain how horizontal gene transfer can affect the accuracy of phylogenetic trees, particularly in prokaryotes.
Explain why molecular data is often more reliable than morphological data for reconstructing deep evolutionary relationships.
