Part of the phylogenetic tree for bats is shown below - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 21 - 2010 - Paper 1
Question 21
Part of the phylogenetic tree for bats is shown below.
The most recent divergence of two bat species is the:
A. smoky and fishing bats.
B. evening and long-fingered... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Part of the phylogenetic tree for bats is shown below - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 21 - 2010 - Paper 1
Step 1
A. smoky and fishing bats.
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Answer
According to the phylogenetic tree, the most recent divergence between species occurs at the node that separates the smoky bats from the fishing bats. This indicates that they diverged from a common ancestor most recently compared to the other bat species listed.
Step 2
B. evening and long-fingered bats.
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Answer
The evening bats and long-fingered bats diverge at a different point on the tree, indicating they are not the most recently diverged species.
Step 3
C. slit-faced and sheath-tailed bats.
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Answer
Similar to the previous cases, the slit-faced and sheath-tailed bats diverged earlier than the smoky and fishing bats, thus they do not represent the most recent divergence.
Step 4
D. sucker-footed and New Zealand short-tailed bats.
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Answer
The sucker-footed and New Zealand short-tailed bats also diverged earlier in the tree's timeline, making them less recent than the smoky and fishing bats.
