Final answer:
Statement (d) 'Arthropods are more closely related to nematodes than they are to annelids' is false. Molecular analyses have reclassified several animal groups, refining our understanding of the Metazoan phylogenetic tree.
Step-by-step explanation:
Molecular and Traditional Analysis of Metazoa
The question asks which of the provided statements about Metazoan phylogeny is false. The analysis of Metazoa, or animal phylogeny, both traditional and molecular, has immensely progressed our understanding of evolutionary relationships. While traditional analyses relied on morphology and fossil records, molecular analyses use data from mitochondrial DNA, nuclear DNA, ribosomal RNA (rRNA), and proteins to refine the phylogenetic tree. For example, molecular evidence has reclassified lophophorates, once thought to be primitive deuterostomes, into the protostome clade Lophotrochozoa which is more closely related to annelids and mollusks.
The phylogenetic tree is dynamic and subject to ongoing refinements as new data come to light. Recent molecular data have challenged the placement of certain animal groups, such as the position of sponges (Porifera) and comb jellies (Ctenophora), and the separation of the acoel flatworms from Platyhelminthes into the new phylum Acoelomorpha.
Addressing the question provided, statement (d) 'Arthropods are more closely related to nematodes than they are to annelids' is false according to recent molecular research findings which show that arthropods are more closely related to annelids than to nematodes. Thus, molecular analysis plays a critical role in the ongoing development and refinement of Metazoan phylogeny.