Use the figure to answer the 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.

Question

Use the figure to answer the 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 shows examples of animals with extremely different adult forms (such as sea stars and sea urchins) being relatively closely related, which supports statement D. The diagram does not indicate that Deuterostoma are more evolutionarily advanced than Porifera (statement A), nor does it demonstrate that traits are always retained in later-evolving groups (statement B). Without additional information, it is impossible to determine if animals show evidence of convergent evolution in their traits (statement C).

Use the Figure to Answer the Question