Question

Leeches, ticks, mosquitoes, lampreys, and vampire bats all suck blood. Would they form a monophyletic group of close relatives with a recent common ancestor in a phylogenetic tree?

A. No, because they have too many shared derived characters that go along with bloodsucking.
B. Yes, because they have a shared ancestral trait of bloodsucking.
C. No, because their similarities are due to convergent evolution (adaptation to the bloodsucking lifestyle); phylogenetic analysis is based on homologous features, not analogous features.
D. Yes, because they are all classified in the same genus.

Answer 1

Leeches, ticks, mosquitoes, lampreys, and vampire bats would not form a monophyletic group in a phylogenetic tree since their bloodsucking trait is a result of convergent evolution, and phylogenetic analysis is based on homologous features. The correct option is C.

Step-by-step explanation:

No, leeches, ticks, mosquitoes, lampreys, and vampire bats would not form a monophyletic group of close relatives with a recent common ancestor in a phylogenetic tree because their bloodsucking abilities are due to convergent evolution.

This means that the trait of bloodsucking arose independently in unrelated groups as an adaptation to a similar lifestyle, rather than being inherited from a common ancestor with that trait.

Phylogenetic trees are based on homologous features that are inherited from a common ancestor, not analogous features that arise independently.

Therefore, the correct answer is C: No, because their similarities are due to convergent evolution (adaptation to the bloodsucking lifestyle); phylogenetic analysis is based on homologous features, not analogous features.