The family Felidae (cats) is distributed across Africa, Eurasia, North America, and South America and is hypothesized to have eight major lineages (Panthera, bay cat, caracal, ocelot, lynx, puma, leopard, and domestic cat groups) as shown in this phylogenetic tree, constructed from DNA sequences. Scientists used a molecular clock and fossil evidence to date the divergence of each group. The dates of divergence are provided in the accompanying figure.

-The Manx cat is in the domestic cat group, and the bobcat is in the lynx group. Both have a trait in common: short, stubby tails. According to the phylogeny, which is the most parsimonious explanation for this common trait in these two species of cat?
A) The common ancestor of the Manx cat and bobcat had a short, stubby tail.
B) Horizontal gene transfer between the Manx cat and bobcat occurred.
C) The short, stubby tail evolved independently in these two species.
D) Short, stubby tails were advantageous about 9 million years ago.

Question

The family Felidae (cats) is distributed across Africa, Eurasia, North America, and South America and is hypothesized to have eight major lineages (Panthera, bay cat, caracal, ocelot, lynx, puma, leopard, and domestic cat groups) as shown in this phylogenetic tree, constructed from DNA sequences. Scientists used a molecular clock and fossil evidence to date the divergence of each group. The dates of divergence are provided in the accompanying figure.
 
-The Manx cat is in the domestic cat group, and the bobcat is in the lynx group. Both have a trait in common: short, stubby tails. According to the phylogeny, which is the most parsimonious explanation for this common trait in these two species of cat?
A) The common ancestor of the Manx cat and bobcat had a short, stubby tail. 
B) Horizontal gene transfer between the Manx cat and bobcat occurred. 
C) The short, stubby tail evolved independently in these two species. 
D) Short, stubby tails were advantageous about 9 million years ago.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to the phylogeny, the Manx cat and bobcat belong to different lineages within the Felidae family, and therefore do not share a recent common ancestor. Since both species have short, stubby tails, it is unlikely that this trait was inherited from a common ancestor. Instead, it is more likely that the short, stubby tail evolved independently in each species, either due to convergent evolution or to a similar genetic mutation occurring separately in each lineage. Therefore, choice C is the most parsimonious explanation for this common trait in these two species of cat.

The Family Felidae (Cats) Is Distributed Across Africa, Eurasia, North