Question

"Which statement is true:

a) Fungi and slime molds are more closely related than plants and animals
b) Bacteria and Archea have a different common ancestor
c) Branching points stand for the common ancestor of two diverging groups
d) The length of the branches indicates time"

Answer 1

Fungi and slime molds are more closely related than plants and animals.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct statement is a) Fungi and slime molds are more closely related than plants and animals.

Phylogenetic trees depict the evolutionary relationships between different organisms. In this case, the phylogenetic tree suggests that fungi and slime molds share a more recent common ancestor compared to plants and animals. The branching points in a phylogenetic tree represent the common ancestors of two diverging groups, so statement c) is also true. However, statement d) is false. The length of the branches in a phylogenetic tree does not indicate time. Rather, it represents the amount of evolutionary change or divergence between two groups.

Therefore, the correct statement is that fungi and slime molds are more closely related than plants and animals.