PHYLOGENY & THE TREE OF LIFE
EXAM 2025 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Why are phylogenetic trees considered hypotheses? - ANS A phylogenetic tree can be used
to make testable predictions.
Researchers can use molecular homologies to __________. - ANS reveal the number of
mutations in a particular sequence that has occurred in each species since they diverged from a
common ancestor
Which of the following is a true statement concerning horizontal gene transfer? -
ANS Horizontal gene transfer is known to occur within both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
Which of the following is an assumption that should be made when reading a phylogenetic
tree? - ANS None of the listed assumptions should be made.
1 Copyright ©2025 FYNDLAY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
, Looking at the character table and phylogenetic tree above, which of the following is a true
statement? - ANS A backbone is a shared ancestral character in mammals (leopard).
A phylogenetic tree of bird families constructed by cladistic analysis would be a hypothesis
about which of the following? - ANS Evolutionary relationships among bird families
What is the basis for the use of a molecular clock to determine the absolute time of
evolutionary change? - ANS Nucleotide substitutions in a gene occur at a relatively constant
rate.
Rabbits and guinea pigs both belong to class Mammalia. This means they must also both belong
to __________. - ANS phylum Chordata
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? - ANS It consists of an ancestral species and some, but not all, of its descendants.
By applying a molecular clock, researchers have proposed that the first HIV-1 M invasion into
humans occurred in the __________. - ANS 1930s
2 Copyright ©2025 FYNDLAY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
EXAM 2025 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Why are phylogenetic trees considered hypotheses? - ANS A phylogenetic tree can be used
to make testable predictions.
Researchers can use molecular homologies to __________. - ANS reveal the number of
mutations in a particular sequence that has occurred in each species since they diverged from a
common ancestor
Which of the following is a true statement concerning horizontal gene transfer? -
ANS Horizontal gene transfer is known to occur within both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
Which of the following is an assumption that should be made when reading a phylogenetic
tree? - ANS None of the listed assumptions should be made.
1 Copyright ©2025 FYNDLAY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
, Looking at the character table and phylogenetic tree above, which of the following is a true
statement? - ANS A backbone is a shared ancestral character in mammals (leopard).
A phylogenetic tree of bird families constructed by cladistic analysis would be a hypothesis
about which of the following? - ANS Evolutionary relationships among bird families
What is the basis for the use of a molecular clock to determine the absolute time of
evolutionary change? - ANS Nucleotide substitutions in a gene occur at a relatively constant
rate.
Rabbits and guinea pigs both belong to class Mammalia. This means they must also both belong
to __________. - ANS phylum Chordata
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? - ANS It consists of an ancestral species and some, but not all, of its descendants.
By applying a molecular clock, researchers have proposed that the first HIV-1 M invasion into
humans occurred in the __________. - ANS 1930s
2 Copyright ©2025 FYNDLAY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
