Theoretically, molecular clocks are to molecular phylogenies as radiometric dating is to phylogenies that are based on the
A)fossil record.
B)geographic distribution of extant species.
C)morphological similarities among extant species.
D)amino acid sequences of homologous polypeptides.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Radiometric dating is used to estimate the age of fossils, and fossil records are used to construct phylogenies based on anatomical and morphological similarities among extinct species. Molecular clocks, on the other hand, use the rate of mutations in DNA sequences to estimate the time since two species diverged from a common ancestor, and are therefore more frequently used to generate molecular phylogenies based on comparisons of living organisms.

Theoretically, Molecular Clocks Are to Molecular Phylogenies as Radiometric Dating