Question

Suppose Amy and her friend, Curtis, are orphans. They both are curious about their ancestry and decide to sequence their mitochondrial DNA and create a phylogenetic tree with other classmates. The results show that Curtis and Amy share a relatively recent common ancestor. What can you conclude about the ancestral relationship between Amy and Curtis?A. Curtis and Amy share a common paternal and maternal ancestor.B. Curtis and Amy share a common paternal ancestor.C. Curtis and Amy share a common maternal ancestor.D. Curtis and Amy are distant cousins.E. Curtis and Amy do not share a common ancestor.

Answer 1

Curtis and Amy share a common maternal.

Answer: Option C

Step-by-step explanation:

When Amy and Curtis sequence mitochondrial DNA and develop a phylogenetic tree, they come to know that they have a common maternal ancestor. Mitochondrial DNA are passed from the mother to the offspring through the egg cell.

The phylogenetic tree tells about the a species evolves from ancestors. Since the mitochondrial DNA has been sequenced in this case, the phylogetentic tree would represent evolution from maternal ancestors showing the similarities and differences in the physical as well as genetic characteristics.