Why might a phylogeny based only on molecular data show a different pattern of relationships than a phylogeny of the same taxa that is based only on morphological traits?
A)Gene sequences always provide more data than morphological traits.
B)Morphological analyses always provide more data because each morphological trait is the result of the expression of many genes.
C)The molecular data may be based on the analysis of introns, which aren't expressed and don't contribute to the evolutionary history of a group of taxa.
D)Some highly conserved genetic sequences can result in unrelated species appearing closely related in a molecular phylogeny, and not reflect the same pattern as the morphologic phylogeny.
E)Gene sequence changes may not result in morphological changes.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Molecular data can sometimes show different relationships due to highly conserved sequences that don't reflect morphological divergence, and gene sequence changes may not always lead to observable morphological changes.

Why Might a Phylogeny Based Only on Molecular Data Show