Question

Which statement can be inferred from the cladogram above?

1) All the species evolved from sharks.
2) The original ancestor had vertebrae.
3) Cannot be determined from the cladogram.
4) Both a and b

Answer 1

The statement that can be inferred from the cladogram is that the original ancestor had vertebrae. Option 2 is correct..

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the information given in the cladogram, we can infer that statement 2) The original ancestor had vertebrae can be made. The cladogram shows the branching pattern of different species, and the presence of vertebrae is a common characteristic among all the species. Therefore, it can be concluded that the original ancestor of these species had vertebrae. It suggests that all species depicted in the cladogram share a common ancestor with that trait. The sequence in which species branched off the cladogram does not support the claim that all species evolved from sharks. Instead, it demonstrates divergent evolution from a common ancestor.

Statements 1) All the species evolved from sharks and 3) Cannot be determined from the cladogram cannot be inferred from the cladogram provided. The cladogram only shows the branching pattern and relationships among the species, not the timeline of evolution or the specific origin of the species.Therefore, the correct answer is 2) The original ancestor had vertebrae.