Question

pre lab quizzes content
question 1
10 points
in a phylogenetic tree, a node or branching point represents:
a the common ancestor from which the descendent species diverged.
b the species in the fossil record from which the descendent species diverged.
c the ancestral species from which all species in the phylogeny arose.
d one of the descendent species in the phylogeny.
e none of the other answer options is correct.

Explanation:

In a phylogenetic tree, a node represents the common ancestor from which descendant species diverged. It is not necessarily a species from the fossil - record, not the single ancestral species for all in the phylogeny, and not a descendant species.

Answer:

A. the common ancestor from which the descendant species diverged.