Which statement about phylogenetic trees is false?
A) The positions of branches on the x axis indicate the order in which lineages split.
B) The x axis represents time.
C) The y axis shows degree of similarity between contemporaneous species.
D) A split in the tree indicates the formation of two new species.
E) The break points of the tree are determined by the appearance of particular derived traits.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The y axis on a phylogenetic tree typically shows evolutionary distance, which is usually measured by the number of differences in DNA sequence or morphological characters. It does not show degree of similarity between contemporaneous species.

Which Statement About Phylogenetic Trees Is False