Phylogenetics — MCQs Biology 50 min Score: 0 Attempted: 0/50 Subscribe 1. Phylogenetics is the study of: (A) Soil nutrient cycling (B) Evolutionary relationships among organisms (C) Photosynthesis only (D) Energy flow in ecosystems 2. The diagram representing evolutionary relationships is called: (A) Energy pyramid (B) Soil profile (C) Phylogenetic tree (D) Food web 3. A clade includes: (A) Only extinct species (B) Only one species (C) Unrelated species (D) An ancestor and all its descendants 4. Monophyletic groups contain: (A) Single species only (B) Only some descendants (C) Multiple unrelated species (D) An ancestor and all its descendants 5. Paraphyletic groups contain: (A) An ancestor and some, but not all, descendants (B) All descendants of a common ancestor (C) Only unrelated species (D) Only extinct species 6. Polyphyletic groups contain: (A) An ancestor and all descendants (B) Species from different ancestors (C) Single species only (D) Fossil species only 7. Homologous characters indicate: (A) Soil adaptation only (B) Similar function only (C) Random traits (D) Common ancestry 8. Analogous characters indicate: (A) Similar function but different evolutionary origin (B) Same ancestry only (C) Random variation only (D) Soil traits only 9. Cladistics classifies organisms based on: (A) Shared derived characters (synapomorphies) (B) Overall similarity only (C) Fossil age only (D) Soil type only 10. Synapomorphy refers to: (A) Shared derived character among two or more lineages (B) Shared ancestral trait (C) Unique derived trait (D) Random mutation only 11. Symplesiomorphy refers to: (A) Derived trait (B) Shared ancestral trait (C) Fossil trait only (D) Soil adaptation only 12. Autapomorphy refers to: (A) Random trait only (B) Shared ancestral trait (C) Fossil-only trait (D) Unique derived trait in a single lineage 13. Molecular phylogenetics uses: (A) Photosynthesis rates only (B) Fossils only (C) Soil characteristics only (D) DNA, RNA, and protein sequences to study evolutionary relationships 14. Morphological phylogenetics is based on: (A) Energy flow only (B) DNA sequences only (C) Soil characteristics only (D) Physical characters of organisms 15. Phylograms represent: (A) Photosynthesis pathways (B) Soil layers (C) Energy pyramids (D) Evolutionary relationships with branch lengths proportional to evolutionary change 16. Cladograms represent: (A) Energy flow (B) Soil profiles (C) Photosynthesis rates (D) Hypothesized evolutionary relationships without branch length information 17. Molecular clocks estimate: (A) Photosynthesis rate (B) Soil formation time (C) Divergence times based on genetic differences (D) Fossil weight 18. Outgroup comparison in phylogenetics is used to: (A) Measure photosynthesis (B) Identify fossils only (C) Determine ancestral versus derived characters (D) Measure soil nutrients 19. Convergent evolution results in: (A) Analogous traits in unrelated species (B) Homologous traits only (C) Shared ancestral traits only (D) Soil adaptation traits 20. Divergent evolution results in: (A) Random mutations only (B) Analogous traits only (C) Homologous traits in related species (D) Fossil traits only 21. Bootstrapping in phylogenetic analysis is used to: (A) Measure photosynthesis (B) Assess confidence in tree branches (C) Analyze soil layers (D) Fossil dating only 22. Maximum parsimony method chooses the tree with: (A) Most evolutionary changes (B) Fewest evolutionary changes (C) Random arrangement (D) Fossil-only information 23. Maximum likelihood in phylogenetics uses: (A) Soil nutrients only (B) Statistical probability models for tree construction (C) Photosynthesis rates only (D) Fossil age only 24. Bayesian inference in phylogenetics uses: (A) Photosynthesis data only (B) Soil properties only (C) Probability models and prior information to estimate tree (D) Fossil-only approach 25. Monophyletic groups are also called: (A) Paraphyletic groups (B) Polyphyletic groups (C) Clades (D) Species complexes 26. Polyphyletic groups are considered: (A) Single species only (B) Natural and valid (C) Artificial and unnatural (D) Fossil-only groups 27. Phylogenetic systematics aims to: (A) Focus only on soil adaptation (B) Focus only on morphology (C) Reflect evolutionary history in classification (D) Study photosynthesis only 28. Molecular data is particularly useful for: (A) Energy studies only (B) Soil analysis only (C) Resolving relationships among closely related species (D) Fossil dating only 29. Horizontal gene transfer complicates phylogenetic analysis in: (A) Fungi only (B) Plants only (C) Animals only (D) Bacteria 30. Ribosomal RNA genes are widely used in phylogenetics because: (A) They exist only in soil microbes (B) They mutate extremely fast (C) They are highly conserved (D) They are only in animals 31. Mitochondrial DNA is useful in phylogenetics for: (A) Fossil-only studies (B) Studying soil chemistry (C) Photosynthesis rate only (D) Studying recent evolutionary events 32. Chloroplast DNA is used to study phylogeny of: (A) Fungi only (B) Animals only (C) Plants (D) Bacteria only 33. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are: (A) Photosynthesis pathways only (B) Fossil layers only (C) Soil characteristics only (D) Useful molecular markers in phylogenetics 34. Gene trees may differ from species trees due to: (A) Energy flow (B) Soil variations (C) Photosynthesis rates (D) Incomplete lineage sorting 35. Phylogenetic networks are used to: (A) Photosynthesis measurement (B) Soil analysis (C) Represent reticulate evolution (D) Fossil layers only 36. Parsimony-informative characters are those that: (A) Are random traits only (B) Help distinguish among competing tree topologies (C) Fossil traits only (D) Soil traits only 37. Molecular systematics can resolve: (A) Soil layers only (B) Cryptic species (C) Photosynthesis only (D) Energy pyramids only 38. Genetic distance in phylogenetics measures: (A) Evolutionary divergence between sequences (B) Soil depth (C) Photosynthesis efficiency (D) Fossil age 39. Neighbor-joining method is: (A) A distance-based tree construction method (B) Soil testing only (C) Fossil measurement only (D) Photosynthesis analysis only 40. Phylogenetic trees can be rooted to: (A) Measure soil layers (B) Show direction of evolution (C) Measure photosynthesis only (D) Fossil layers only 41. Unrooted trees show: (A) Soil profile only (B) Fossil age only (C) Relationships without direction of evolution (D) Photosynthesis only 42. Phylogenetic reconstruction is based on: (A) Soil analysis only (B) Morphological and molecular characters (C) Photosynthesis measurement only (D) Energy pyramids only 43. Reticulate evolution is common in: (A) Soil bacteria only (B) Animals only (C) Fungi only (D) Plants and microbes 44. Orthologous genes are: (A) Soil bacteria genes only (B) Genes in the same species only (C) Fossil-only genes (D) Genes in different species that originated from a common ancestor 45. Paralogous genes are: (A) Soil traits only (B) Genes in different species (C) Fossil-only genes (D) Genes within a species that arose by duplication 46. Long branch attraction is a problem in: (A) Phylogenetic inference (B) Soil testing (C) Photosynthesis only (D) Fossil measurement only 47. Molecular phylogenetics can be used to: (A) Study evolutionary history, speciation, and biodiversity (B) Soil nutrient mapping only (C) Energy flow study only (D) Photosynthesis measurement only 48. Cladistic analysis emphasizes: (A) Soil layers only (B) Overall similarity only (C) Fossil abundance only (D) Shared derived characters 49. Phylogenetic methods help in: (A) Photosynthesis study only (B) Soil testing only (C) Conservation biology by identifying evolutionary significant units (D) Energy measurement only 50. Understanding phylogenetics is important for: (A) Photosynthesis measurement only (B) Soil analysis only (C) Evolutionary biology, taxonomy, and biodiversity studies (D) Energy flow only