- Which of the following statements is supported by the phylogeny in the figure?
A) Deuterostoma are more evolutionarily advanced than Porifera.
B) Traits, once they evolve, are retained in later-evolving taxonomic groups.
C) Animals show no evidence of convergent evolution in their traits.
D) Animals with extremely different adult forms can be relatively closely related.

Question

- Which of the following statements is supported by the phylogeny in the figure?
A) Deuterostoma are more evolutionarily advanced than Porifera. 
B) Traits, once they evolve, are retained in later-evolving taxonomic groups. 
C) Animals show no evidence of convergent evolution in their traits. 
D) Animals with extremely different adult forms can be relatively closely related.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The phylogeny in the figure shows that animals with extremely different adult forms (such as sponges, cnidarians, and bilaterians) can be relatively closely related, as they all belong to the same major taxonomic group. This supports option D. Option A is incorrect because evolutionary "advancement" is a subjective and misleading concept in biology. Option B is partially correct, as traits that evolved earlier can be retained in later-evolving groups, but it is not a universal rule. Option C is incorrect because animals do show evidence of convergent evolution in some of their traits.

- Which of the Following Statements Is Supported by the Phylogeny