DNA is found in every cell of an organism. What subset of DNA changes would be most useful to molecular biologists to determine evolutionary relationships?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

DNA changes in genes that are shared by a common ancestor would be the most useful subset for determining evolutionary relationships. This is because these changes would provide information about the similarities and differences in genetic sequences between organisms that are descended from a common ancestor, which can be used to construct phylogenetic trees and determine the degree of relatedness between different groups of organisms. Changes in genes specific to organisms in one kingdom (A) would provide less information and may not be useful for comparing evolutionary relationships between different kingdoms. Changes in genes that occur in body cells and cannot be passed to offspring (C) or in genes that do not generally code for any function (D) would not provide useful information for determining evolutionary relationships.

DNA Is Found in Every Cell of an Organism