Use the figure to answer the following question.

If the figure is an accurate depiction of relatedness, then which of the following should be an accurate statement?
A) If all species depicted here make up a taxon, this taxon is monophyletic.
B) The species present at position 4 is ancestral to species E, but not species D.
C) Species C is more closely related to species B than D is to B
D) The species present at position 3 is ancestral to C, D, and E.

Question

Use the figure to answer the following question.

If the figure is an accurate depiction of relatedness, then which of the following should be an accurate statement?
A) If all species depicted here make up a taxon, this taxon is monophyletic. 
B) The species present at position 4 is ancestral to species E, but not species D. 
C) Species C is more closely related to species B than D is to B 
D) The species present at position 3 is ancestral to C, D, and E.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A monophyletic taxon includes an ancestor and all of its descendants, which is shown in the figure. All the species within the clade have a common ancestor, which defines the monophyletic group.

Answer: C
 The branching pattern in the figure shows that C and B share a common ancestor that is more recent than the common ancestor of D and B. Therefore, C is more closely related to B than D is to B.

Answer: D
 The branching pattern in the figure shows that the species in position 3 is the most ancestral and gave rise to C, D and E.

Use the Figure to Answer the Following Question