You Are Conducting a Comparative Analysis of Five Species of Elves.You

question 62

Multiple Choice

You are conducting a comparative analysis of five species of elves.You find that four of the five species possess pointed ears,whereas the fifth does not.Further,no other closely related species has pointed ears.Which of the following is the most parsimonious conclusion about elvish ears?

• A)Pointed ears evolved four independent times in the four pointed-ear species.
• B)Pointed ears evolved by a combination of adaptation and exaptation.
• C)Pointed ears are a plesiomorphic feature of elves that was lost in one species.
• D)Pointed ears are an example of homoplasy because not all elves possess them.

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Definitions:

Time Series

It is a sequence of data points indexed in time order, often used to analyze and predict future events based on past trends.

Moving Average

A calculation to analyze data points by creating averages of different subsets of the complete data set.

Cyclical Movement

Fluctuations in business activity experienced over time, usually tied to economic cycles.

Random Variation

The unpredictable changes in data that do not follow a recognizable pattern, often due to random effects or causes.