The Rule of Parsimony States That

question 14

Multiple Choice

The rule of parsimony states that:

• A)analogous features should be given more importance than homologous features.
• B)cladograms should be constructed in the least complicated way.
• C)character states are distinguished from one another by comparison with outgroups.
• D)adjacent branches should terminate in a node.
• E)phylogenetic relationships should be based on ancestral character states.

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Definitions:

Population Mean

The average value of a characteristic or measurement across the entire population targeted in a study.

Population Standard Deviation

A measure of the dispersion or spread of a set of data points in a population, quantifying how much the data diverges from the mean of the population.

Sample Size

The number of observations or replicates used in a statistical sample.

Confidence Estimate

A range or interval within which an unknown population parameter is expected to lie, calculated to a specific confidence level.