Final answer:
A rooted phylogenetic tree is used in biology to depict evolutionary relationships, showing a single lineage at its base representing a common ancestor. The tree illustrates how species like plants and animals branch off this lineage, highlighting their recent emergence in evolutionary history.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question refers to the concept of a phylogenetic tree, which is a diagrammatic representation used to infer evolutionary relationships among species based on similarities and differences in their physical or genetic characteristics. Rooted phylogenetic trees indicate a common ancestor at the base from which all organisms represented have diverged. The single lineage at the base is typically drawn from the bottom or left and denotes the ancestral lineage that is common to all featured organisms. In contrast to this, unrooted trees do not identify a common ancestor but do illustrate the relationships among species. When looking at a rooted phylogenetic tree, it is clear that the domains of Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya diverge from a single point. Additionally, it is observable that the lineage leading to plants and animals, which includes humans, is a smaller branch, suggesting these groups are relatively recent in the history of life.