Concept explainers
Videos
In cladistics, the only taxon that is always correct as a clade is the _______.
- a. genus
- b. family
- c. species
- d. kingdom
Concept introduction: The taxon “species” is the basic unit of classification, and it is the unit of biodiversity. It comprises of organisms that resemble very close to each other. The term “clade” includes a group of organisms that are believed to comprise all the evolutionary descendants of a common ancestor.
Answer to Problem 1SQ
Correct answer: In cladistics, the only taxon that is always correct as a clade is the species. Therefore, option c. is the correct answer.
Explanation of Solution
Reason for the correct answer: Taxonomy is a biological practice of identifying different organisms, classifying them into different categories, and naming them. Organisms are classified according to their similarities and differences. Each hierarchy of taxonomy is known as taxa and species is the fundamental unit of this taxonomic classification. Cladogram is the pictorial representation of comparison of different groups of animals that are very closely-related with each other because of their shared ancestry. Therefore, both clade and species come under the same category, as the members come under them are much related to each other and also they share a common ancestry.
Option c. is given as “species”. The only taxon that is always the same as a clade is the species. Therefore, option c. is the correct answer.
Reason for the incorrect answers:
Option a. is given as “genus”. It is a taxonomic ranking used in biological classification. It comprises of several species, which are slighty different from each other. Hence, genus cannot be compared with a clade. Therefore, option a. is a wrong answer.
Option b. is given as “family”. In biological classification, it is one of the eight major taxonomic ranks, and it is divided into several subfamilies, which are intermediate ranks above the rank of a genus. As it is composed of several subdivisions, it does not have a group of members with the same characters as a clade. Therefore, option b. is a wrong answer.
Option d. is given as “kingdom”. It is a taxonomic category of the highest rank, grouping together all forms of life having certain fundamental characteristics in common. Hence, it cannot be compared with a clade. Therefore, option d. is a wrong answer.
Hence, options a., b., and d. are wrong answers.
Want to see more full solutions like this?
Chapter 18 Solutions
Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life (MindTap Course List)
- A monophyletic group is a ______. a. phylogenetic tree b. shared derived trait c. character state d. cladearrow_forwardA monophyletic group is a ________. a. phylogenetic tree b. shared derived trait c. character state d. cladearrow_forwardWhat is not always true of a valid binomial species name like Homo sapiens? A. It includes the genus name B. It is the first published name applied to the biological species C. It is defined by autapomorphic character states D. Technically, it consists of a noun and an adjective asaparrow_forward
- A taxonomic group that contains species that have similar phenotypes due to convergent evolution is a. paraphyletic. b. monophyletic. c. polyphyletic. d. a good cladistic group.arrow_forwardA cladogram or phylogenetic tree is used to classify organisms into groups based on their shared characteristics, where each node or branching point is known as _________________. Group of answer choices A. Common ancestry B. New species C. Reproductive isolation D. New characteristic E. None of the answers are correctarrow_forwardConstructing a cladogram______ . a. may involve parsimony analysis b. helps us rank species into taxa c. reveals convergent structures d. is a necessary part of DNA barcodingarrow_forward
- Which assumption of cladistics is stated incorrectly? a. Living things are related by descent from a common ancestor. b. Speciation can produce one, two, or three new species. c. Traits change from one state to another. d. The polarity of a character state change can be determined.arrow_forwardThe approach to estimating phylogenetic trees is most like the approach of which species concept? 2) A) Morphological species concept B) Biological species conceptC) Subspecies concept D) Phylogenetic species concept Then explain why the answer is correct and the rest are inccorect.arrow_forwardA clade is_____ . a. defined by a derived character c. a hypothesis b. a monophyletic group d. all of the abovearrow_forward
- Which statement is usually true about phylogenetic trees? a) nodes represent points when traits have evolved b) branch tips that are next to each other are more closely related c) the branching pattern describes the hypothesized evolutionary relationships between the taxa d) the order of the branch tips (left to right) indicates which taxa are more advanced evolutionarilyarrow_forwardTo apply parsimony to constructing a phylogenetic tree, (A) choose the tree that assumes all evolutionary changes are equally probable. (B) choose the tree in which the branch points are based on as many shared derived characters as possible. (C) choose the tree that represents the fewest evolutionary changes,in either DNA sequences or morphology. (D) choose the tree with the fewest branch points.arrow_forwardButterfly wings and bat wings are ____ structures, while bird wings and bat wings are ____ structures. a. homozygous … heterozygous b. homologous … analogous c. analogous … phyllogenous d. analogous … homologousarrow_forward
Concepts of BiologyBiologyISBN:9781938168116Author:Samantha Fowler, Rebecca Roush, James WisePublisher:OpenStax College