To apply the principle of maximum parsimony to construction of 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, either in DNA sequences or morphology
D) choose the tree with the fewest branch points

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Maximum parsimony assumes that the tree that requires the fewest evolutionary changes is the most likely. This can be based on DNA sequences or morphological characters. Therefore, the tree with the fewest changes, represented by the fewest number of branch points, is the best choice when applying the principle of maximum parsimony.

To Apply the Principle of Maximum Parsimony to Construction of a Phylogenetic