A phylogenetic tree contains three different species. Species one is found to have many plesiomorphic characters, species two has many apomorphic characters and species thee has a combination of both. The order of these species on a cladogram from bottom to top would be
A) one, three, two.
B) one, two, three.
C) three, one, two.
D) two, three, one.
E) three, two, one.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Species with plesiomorphic (ancestral) characters are placed at the base of the phylogenetic tree, followed by species with a mix of ancestral and derived characters, and finally, species with primarily apomorphic (derived) characters are placed at the top.

A Phylogenetic Tree Contains Three Different Species