- If the figure above is an accurate depiction of relatedness, then which of the following should be an accurate statement?
A) The entire tree is based on minimum parsimony.
B) If all species depicted here make up a taxon, this taxon is paraphyletic.
C) The last common ancestor of species B and C occurred more recently than the last common ancestor of species D and E.
D) Species A is the direct ancestor of both species B and species C.

Question

- If the figure above is an accurate depiction of relatedness, then which of the following should be an accurate statement?
A) The entire tree is based on minimum parsimony. 
B) If all species depicted here make up a taxon, this taxon is paraphyletic. 
C) The last common ancestor of species B and C occurred more recently than the last common ancestor of species D and E. 
D) Species A is the direct ancestor of both species B and species C.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to the figure, the branch length between nodes B and C is shorter than the branch length between nodes D and E, indicating that they share a more recent common ancestor. This supports choice C as the accurate statement. Choices A and B cannot be determined from the figure, and choice D is not necessarily true as other species could also be direct ancestors of B and C.

- If the Figure Above Is an Accurate Depiction of Relatedness