Question

Which of the following statements about reconstructing phylogenies is false?

a. Traits found in the out group as well as in the ungroup are likely to be ancestral traits
b. Shared traits are generally assumed to be homoplastic until they can be proven to be homologous
c. Phyogenetic trees do not always provide an explicit time scale by which to date the splits between lineages
d. In a phylogenetic tree, branches can be rotated around any node without changing the meaning of the tree
e. A particular trait may be either ancestral or derived depending not he point of reference of the phylogeny

Answer 1

In a phylogenetic tree, branches cannot be rotated without changing the meaning of the tree. The correct answer is option D.

Step-by-step explanation:

In reconstructing phylogenies, the false statement is option d. In a phylogenetic tree, branches can be rotated around any node without changing the meaning of the tree. The branches in a phylogenetic tree represent evolutionary relationships and changing their rotation would change the representation of those relationships. The other statements are true: a. Traits found in the outgroup as well as in the ingroup are likely to be ancestral traits, b. Shared traits are generally assumed to be homoplastic until they can be proven to be homologous, c. Phylogenetic trees do not always provide an explicit time scale by which to date the splits between lineages, and e. A particular trait may be either ancestral or derived depending on the point of reference of the phylogeny.