Which of the following statements would be least acceptable to most zoologists?
A) The extant lancelets are contemporaries, not ancestors, of vertebrates.
B) The first fossils resembling lancelets appeared in the fossil record around 530 million years ago.
C) Recent work in molecular systematics supports the hypothesis that lancelets are the most recent common ancestor of all vertebrates.
D) The extant lancelets are the immediate ancestors of the fishes.
E) Lancelets display the same method of swimming as do fishes.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The statement that extant lancelets are the immediate ancestors of fishes is least acceptable to most zoologists because it is not supported by fossil evidence or molecular systematics. It is more likely that lancelets and fishes evolved from a common ancestor, rather than one being the direct ancestor of the other.

Which of the Following Statements Would Be Least Acceptable to Most