Question

What conclusion about the bacteria domain could be made from the phylogenetic tree below? What conclusion about the bacteria domain could be made from the phylogenetic tree below?

Answer 1

Bacteria are more distantly related to Archaea and Eukarya, as shown by their position on the phylogenetic tree, which indicates they split off earlier in evolutionary history.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the information provided in the various descriptions of the phylogenetic tree constructed by microbiologist Carl Woese, we can conclude that Bacteria are more distantly related to both Archaea and Eukarya compared to the relationship between Archaea and Eukarya. This is evidenced by the phylogenetic tree showing that Eukarya shared a more recent common ancestor with Archaea than with Bacteria. In the tree, each branch represents a common ancestor, indicating that the domains diverged at different points in evolutionary history. Notably, Bacteria and Archaea are both classified as prokaryotes, meaning these organisms do not have a nucleus or other membrane-bound organelles while Eukarya, consisting of organisms like humans and animals, are eukaryotes possessing these cellular structures.

Answer 2

The photo summarized:

The first branch of the phylogenetic tree holds the species of the bacteria division. It contains thermotoga bacteria, green non-sulfur bacteria, cyanobacteria, gram-positive bacteria, and purple bacteria. The second branch of the phylogenetic tree holds species of the Eukarya. It contains diplomonads, microsporidia, trichomonads, flagellates, entamoeba, slime molds, ciliates, plants, animals, and fungi. The last branch of the phylogenetic tree starts at the beginning of Eukarya line and holds the species of the Archaea division. It contains Thermococcus, Pyrodictium, Thermoproteus, Methanobacterium, and extreme halophiles.

The questions:

A) Plants and animals evolved from the Bacteria domain.

B) Bacteria and Eukarya are more similar than Archaea and Eukarya.

C) Eukarya has similar evolutionary traits to Archaea.

D) Eukarya and Bacteria developed on the same evolutionary line.

The answer is: C