Which of the Following Statements Concerning Phylogenetic Trees for a Given

question 20

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements concerning phylogenetic trees for a given group of taxa is FALSE?

• A) Each unrooted tree corresponds to numerous rooted trees.
• B) An unrooted tree with k species has 2k-3 branches.
• C) An unrooted tree with k species has 2k-3 times as many rooted trees as unrooted trees.
• D) There is only one rooted tree for every unrooted tree.

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Definitions:

Genetic Drift

A mechanism of evolution that refers to random changes in the frequency of alleles within a population over time.

Random Chance

The occurrence of events without a determinable cause, often affecting genetic variations and evolutionary processes in organisms.

Natural Selection

A process in evolutionary biology where organisms with traits better adapted to the environment have higher survival rates and reproductive success, leading to the accumulation of beneficial traits in a population over generations.

Homoplasic Traits

Homoplasic traits are similar features in organisms that evolved independently, not from a common ancestor, often due to convergent evolution or parallel evolution.