What types of molecular comparisons are used to determine the very early branching of the tree of life? Explain.

Phylogenies are created based on the principle that all species descending from a recent common ancestor .a. should be identical;b. should share characteristics that evolved in that ancestor;c. should be found as fossils;d. should have identical DNA sequences;e. should be no more similar than species that are less closely related

The traditional tree of life (shown above) presents the three domains as distinct, monophyletic lineages. However, other hypotheses propose different views on the relationships among the Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya. In particular, the two-domain hypothesis—or eocyte hypothesis—is emerging as a well-supported alternative to the three-domain hypothesis. The eocyte hypothesis, illustrated below, suggests that eukaryotes evolved from eocytes (also known as the Crenarchaeota—a major lineage of the Archaea). Resolving the relationships among these ancient lineages is difficult, but it has profound implications on our understanding of the origin of eukaryotic cells. Why are Archaea considered a monophyletic group according to the three-domain hypothesis?a. Because this group includes all organisms except eukaryotes.b. Because this group includes an ancestral population and all of its descendants.c. Because all members of this group lack membrane-bound organelles.d. Because this group evolved after the origin of bacteria.

Which are more likely to be closely related: two species with similar appearance but divergent gene sequences or two species with different appearances but nearly identical genes? Explain.

Explain why changes in the regulation of developmental genes may have played such a large role in the evolution of new forms.

A paleontologist compares fossils from three dinosaurs and Archaeopteryx, the earliest-known bird. The following table shows the distribution of characters for each species, where 1 means that the character is present and 0 means it is not. The outgroup (not shown in the table) had none of the characters. Arrange these species on the phylogenetic tree below and indicate the derived character that defines each branch point.

The analytical approach to understanding the diversity and relatedness of both extant and extinct organisms is called __________.

What is the focus of the branch of biology called taxonomy?

The binomial system assigns to each organism a unique name that describes its __________.