Observable phenotypic characteristics, such as a reaction to the Gram stain, are less useful than molecular traits for understanding the evolutionary relationships of prokaryotes.Which statement about the importance of rRNA to the classification of organisms is false?
A) Because rRNA is ancient, it is useful for evolutionary studies.
B) All free-living organisms have rRNA, making it useful for evolutionary studies.
C) Because it plays the same role in translation in all organisms, rRNA is useful for evolutionary studies.
D) Unique sequences in rRNA are useful for distinguishing relationships at the domain level, but not at lower taxonomic levels.
E) Because rRNA has evolved slowly and sequence similarities between groups of organisms are easily found, it is useful for evolutionary studies.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Unique sequences in rRNA are indeed useful for distinguishing relationships at various taxonomic levels, not just at the domain level. This makes statement D false. rRNA sequences can provide valuable information for phylogenetic studies across a wide range of taxonomic categories, from broad classifications down to species-level distinctions.

Observable Phenotypic Characteristics, Such as a Reaction to the Gram