What is the fundamental idea behind parsimony?
A) the best phylogeny is the one that both explains the observed character data and posits the fewest evolutionary changes for a group of taxa
B) the best phylogeny is the one that posits the greatest number of evolutionary changes for a group of taxa
C) the computed number of morphological or molecular distances between taxa indicates their relatedness
D) morphological traits cannot be used to reconstruct phylogenetic history

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Parsimony is based on the principle of Occam's razor, which states that the simplest explanation is usually the best. In the case of phylogenetic analysis, this means that the best tree is the one that requires the fewest evolutionary changes (e.g. mutations, deletions, insertions) to explain the observed data. This approach is often called "parsimony" or "maximum parsimony." Therefore, the correct answer is A: the best phylogeny is the one that both explains the observed character data and posits the fewest evolutionary changes for a group of taxa.

What Is the Fundamental Idea Behind Parsimony