You Are Using Maximum Parsimony to Determine the Relationships Among

question 35

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You are using maximum parsimony to determine the relationships among six species (A, B, C, D, E, and F). You examine eight different traits for the six species and an outgroup. Below you will find the data matrix. $\begin{array}{ccccccc} &&&&\text { Trait }\\\hline \text { Species }& 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 & 7 & 8 \\\hline \text { A } & 1 & 0 & 1 & 1 & 1 & 0 & 0 & 1 \\\text { B } & 0 & 1 & 1 & 1 & 0 & 0 & 1 & 1 \\\text { C } & 1 & 0 & 1 & 1 & 1 & 0 & 0 & 1 \\\text { D } & 0 & 0 & 1 & 1 & 1 & 1 & 0 & 1 \\\text { E } & 0 & 0 & 0 & 1 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0\end{array}$ (a) Which traits are not useful for distinguishing relationships among species A, B, C, D, E, and F?
(b) Given below are two possible tree topologies for these species. Based on the principle of maximum parsimony, circle the tree that most likely represents the true relationships among these species. Please show your work (that is, map the traits with tick marks onto each tree, and beside each tick mark give the number of the trait). Please include all traits, even those you determined were not useful in part (a).

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Definitions:

Tracking Studies

Research activities designed to monitor changes in variables or trends over time, often used in marketing to follow consumer behavior.

Demographic Analysis

The study of a population based on factors such as age, race, gender, income level, and employment, primarily for purposes of marketing, policy-making, and research.

Portfolio Analysis

A technique used by businesses to assess the set of products or services they offer, examining their performance and profitability to make strategic decisions.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same initial consonant sounds in a sequence of words, used for emphasis or artistic effect.