A phylogenetic tree
A) indicates common ancestors.
B) indicates the organism's taxon.
C) uses only derived characters.
D) indicates common ancestors for each family.
E) includes the organism's order and class. A phylogenetic tree indicates both an organism's ancestors and its lines of descent. It does not directly indicate the taxon of an organism.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A phylogenetic tree indicates common ancestors of a group of organisms, which is one of its main purposes.

Answer: C
 A phylogenetic tree is constructed using derived characters that are unique to a particular group and have evolved from ancestral characters.

Answer: E
 A phylogenetic tree can include the organism's order and class if those taxonomic ranks are being considered in the analysis, but it is not a requirement or universal feature of all phylogenetic trees.

A Phylogenetic Tree