The following questions refer to this phylogenetic tree, depicting the origins of life and of the three domains. Horizontal lines indicate instances of gene or genome transfer.

-If the early history of life on Earth is accurately depicted by this phylogenetic tree, then which statement is least in agreement with the hypothesis proposed by this tree?
A)The last universal common ancestor of all extant species is better described as a community of organisms, rather than an individual species.
B)The origin of the three domains appears as a polytomy.
C)Archaean genomes should contain genes that originated in bacteria, and vice versa.
D)Eukaryotes are more closely related to archaeans than to bacteria.

Question

The following questions refer to this phylogenetic tree, depicting the origins of life and of the three domains. Horizontal lines indicate instances of gene or genome transfer.
 
-If the early history of life on Earth is accurately depicted by this phylogenetic tree, then which statement is least in agreement with the hypothesis proposed by this tree?
A)The last universal common ancestor of all extant species is better described as a community of organisms, rather than an individual species. 
B)The origin of the three domains appears as a polytomy. 
C)Archaean genomes should contain genes that originated in bacteria, and vice versa. 
D)Eukaryotes are more closely related to archaeans than to bacteria.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to this phylogenetic tree, eukaryotes are more closely related to archaeans than to bacteria, which is in contrast to what was previously believed. However, recent studies have suggested that this tree might not accurately depict the early history of life on Earth, and the relationship between eukaryotes, archaeans and bacteria might be more complex than what is shown in this tree.

The Following Questions Refer to This Phylogenetic Tree, Depicting the Origins