Question

relationships and common ancestors

1. in this style of cladogram, the timeline moves from left to right. the farther to the right the branching point, the more recent the common ancestor. for example, angiosperms and ferns share a more recent common ancestor than do green algae and angiosperms. therefore, angiosperms are more closely related to ferns than to green algae. which of the choices below would be the most closely related?

a. green algae and gymnosperms
b. gymnosperms and angiosperms
c. angiosperms and mosses
d. green algae and ferns

Explanation:

According to the rule that the closer the branching - point on the cladogram (from left to right timeline), the more recent the common ancestor and the closer the relationship. Gymnosperms and angiosperms have a relatively recent common ancestor compared to the other pairs.

Answer:

B. gymnosperms and angiosperms