Phylogenetic Trees and Molecular Clocks Quiz

Which term describes a diagram that shows patterns of shared characteristics among taxa?

• Phylogenetic tree

• Cladogram

• Evolutionary map

• Genetic chart

What does a clade include?

• Only living species

• An ancestral taxon and all its descendants

• Only extinct species

• Randomly selected organisms

How are clades organized in a cladogram?

• By size

• By geographic location

• By shared characteristics

• By color

Which group is made up of an ancestral taxa and all of its descendants?

• Paraphyletic group

• Polyphyletic group

• Monophyletic group

• None of the above

What is the main difference between monophyletic and polyphyletic groups?

• Monophyletic groups include all descendants of a common ancestor, while polyphyletic groups do not

• Polyphyletic groups include all descendants of a common ancestor, while monophyletic groups do not

• Monophyletic groups exclude the common ancestor, while polyphyletic groups include it

• There is no difference

Which group type includes species from different evolutionary paths?

• Monophyletic

• Paraphyletic

• Polyphyletic

• None of the above

What is the key characteristic of a paraphyletic group?

• All descendants are included

• Some descendants are excluded

• Different ancestors are included

• Unrelated species are included

Which genes are found in different species due to a speciation event?

• Paralogous genes

• Orthologous genes

• Identical genes

• Non-homologous genes

Which location on the phylogenic tree identifies characteristics shared by species B,C,D,E,F

• Location 1

• Location 2

• Location 3

• Location 4

Use the phylogenetic tree.  Which hypothetical organism is the most recent ancestor for Organisms A and G?

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4