Which of the Following Statements Is True About the Phylogenetic

question 9

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements is true about the phylogenetic tree shown here?

• A) A combination of molecular data, fossil records, and anatomical homologies shows the human is more closely related to the chimpanzee than to the green monkey.
• B) The green monkey and rhesus monkey cannot reproduce with each other because of a postzygotic isolating mechanism.
• C) The chimpanzee and human must have evolved as a result of allopatric speciation.
• D) There is no single common ancestor to all of the organisms displayed on this phylogenetic tree.
• E) The gibbon and human are no more closely related than the green monkey and human are. The correct statement here is that the human is more closely related to the chimpanzee than to the green monkey. The phylogenetic tree provides no information regarding the method of speciation or whether it is maintained by a prezygotic or postzygotic isolating mechanism. All of the organisms on the tree are related to a single common ancestor about 40 MYA the "root" of the tree). The gibbon and human share a more recent common ancestor 25 MYA) than do the human and green monkey 30 MYA), so that statement is not true.