Several distantly related clades of a family of plants have smooth fleshy leaves, whereas most plants related to the plants with fleshy leaves do not have this trait.Without any further information, the least parsimonious explantation for this is that the fleshy leaves
A) evolved due to convergent evolution.
B) are a homologous feature within this family.
C) are a homoplastic trait within this family.
D) are examples of evolutionary reversals.
E) are due to a change in a single gene.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The least parsimonious explanation is that fleshy leaves are a homologous feature within this family, as it implies that this trait was present in a common ancestor and then lost in most related plants, which is less likely given the scattered distribution of the trait.

Several Distantly Related Clades of a Family of Plants Have