The fossil record is often used to infer phylogenetic history. Which of the statements accurately supports this assumption?
A)There are fossil representatives of every organism in the tree of life.
B)There is a one-to-one correlation between each branch of the phylogenetic tree and fossil specimens.
C)Events that occur early in the fossil record are represented by branching events nearer to the root of a phylogenetic tree.
D)Events that occur early in the fossil record are represented by branching events nearer to the tips of a phylogenetic tree.
E)Fossil record events are too old to be represented on phylogenetic trees, which reconstruct the more recent past.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The fossil record provides evidence of past life on Earth and the timing of evolutionary events. When constructing a phylogenetic tree, events that occurred earlier in the fossil record should be represented by branching events nearer to the root of the tree, as this represents the divergence of two lineages from a common ancestor. However, the fossil record is incomplete and not every organism is represented, so there may be gaps in the phylogenetic history inferred from fossils. Additionally, because fossilization is a rare event and not all organisms fossilize, some branches of the tree may not have any fossil representatives. Therefore, there is not a one-to-one correlation between each branch of the phylogenetic tree and fossil specimens.

The Fossil Record Is Often Used to Infer Phylogenetic History