Phylogenetic Tree Worksheet
Explore the principles of phylogenetic trees, common ancestry, and evolutionary relationships among organisms.
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Phylogenetic Tree Worksheet
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Read each question carefully and answer to the best of your ability. Use complete sentences for short answer questions.
1. What does a node on a phylogenetic tree represent?
A shared derived character
A common ancestor
A homologous structure
A divergent evolution event
2. Which of the following is NOT a type of evidence used to construct phylogenetic trees?
Fossil records
Molecular data (DNA, RNA, proteins)
Behavioral observations
Anatomical similarities
3. A phylogenetic tree is a visual representation of the evolutionary history of a group of .
4. The point where two branches diverge on a phylogenetic tree represents a event.
5. Explain the concept of an 'outgroup' in the context of phylogenetic tree construction.
6. All organisms on Earth share a single common ancestor.
True
False
Match each term on the left with its definition on the right.
7. Clade
a. A group of organisms that includes a common ancestor and all of its descendants.
8. Homology
b. Similarity between organisms due to shared ancestry.
9. Parsimony
c. The principle that the simplest explanation is usually the best.
10. Imagine you are constructing a phylogenetic tree for a group of birds. What kinds of data would you collect and how would you use them to build the tree?
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