Based on the phylogeny shown, choose the true statement about evolutionary relationships.

Question

A.  Ginkgo is more closely related to oak than rose.

B.  Oak is equally related to rose and pine.

C.  Fern is more closely related to pine than to rose.

D.  Fern is equally related to ginkgo and oak.



Clarify Question

· What is the key concept addressed by the question?

· What type of thinking is required?

· What key words does the question contain and what do they mean?

 

Gather Content

· What do you already know about cladistics?

 

Consider Possibilities

· Consider the different answer options. Which can you rule out?

 

Choose Answer · Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most likely to produce the correct answer?

 

Reflect on Process

· Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?

Answer 1

D.  Fern is equally related to ginkgo and oak.


Clarify Question
· What is the key concept addressed by the question?
        o This question addresses cladistics.
· What type of thinking is required?
        o This question is asking you to take what you already know and apply it to this unfamiliar situation.
· What key words does the question contain and what do they mean?
        o A phylogeny is a diagram describing a hypothesis about evolutionary relationships.
 
Gather Content
· What do you already know about cladistics?
        o Cladistics is the method used to construct a cladogram — a graphically represented hypothesis of evolutionary relationships.
        o Only shared derived characters (synapomorphies) are useful for inferring phylogenies, and they must be contrasted to an outgroup that has the ancestral characters.
        o Each nested clade is defined by a new shared derived character. These new characters are typically labeled on the branch.
 
Consider Possibilities
· Consider the different answer options. Which can you rule out?
        o Is ginkgo more closely related to oak than rose? No, it is equally related to them both, since they are members of the same clade.
        o Is oak equally related to rose and pine? No, oak is a member of the same clade with rose, so it is more closely related to rose.
        o Is fern more closely related to pine than to rose? No, it is equally related to them both, since they are members of the same clade.
 
Choose Answer · Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most likely to produce the correct answer?
        o Is it true that fern is equally related to ginkgo and oak? Yes, because they are members of the same distant clade.
 
Reflect on Process
· Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
        o This question asked you to choose the true statement about the cladogram.
        o The question required you to take what you already know and apply it to this unfamiliar situation.
         o Did you recognize that a species is equally related to all the species of a distant clade?