Why Might Researchers Choose to Use Molecular Data (Such as Ribosomal

question 26

Multiple Choice

Why might researchers choose to use molecular data (such as ribosomal RNA sequences) rather than morphological data to study the evolutionary history of animals?

• A) Molecular data can be gathered in the lab, while morphological data must be gathered in the field.
• B) Molecular data can be used to give an estimate of the time since two groups split.
• C) Morphological changes usually do not result from molecular changes.
• D) Some phyla vary too widely in morphological characteristics to be classified accurately.

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