alleryStart learning →On a rooted phylogenetic tree, the three domains diverging from a single point implies they share:
AThree separate origins
BAn identical genome
COne common ancestor
DNo ancestor at all
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. One common ancestor
1. A root on a tree marks the point where everything above it began.
2. In the rooted phylogenetic tree the three domains diverge from a single point and branch off.
3. Diverging from one point means tracing back to one ancestral population.
4. That is the structural claim a rooted tree makes.
5. Sharing an ancestor is quite different from sharing an identical genome today.
_Source: OpenStax Biology for AP(R) Courses (CC BY 4.0), Ch 20 'Phylogenies and the History of Life', sections 20.1-20.3_
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