Question

Exercise 7: Answer the questions for this exercise in the next page (add additional pages if needed). In this exercise, you do not need to create a matrix with O and 1 to identify the ancestral and derived character states. (Adapted from: Life, 12" ed. By Hillis et al., 2020.) 1) Use the data matrix to reconstruct the phylogeny of land plants. Calculate the tree length. 2) Plants that produce seeds are known as seed plants. What is the sister group to the seed plants among these taxa? 3) Which two synapomorphies evolved along the same internode of your reconstructed phylogeny? 4) Are there any homoplasies? Taxon Trait Protected True Persistently Vascular embryos roots green cells sporophyte stomata Stomata Seeds True leaves Stonewort outgroup) Liverwort . Pine tree - Bracken fern Club moss Sphagnum moss Horwort Sunflower

Answer 1

To reconstruct the phylogeny of land plants and calculate the tree length, data on comparative traits and genetic analysis are needed. The sister group to seed plants and synapomorphies evolved along specific branches can be identified by examining a detailed phylogenetic tree. It is also possible to detect homoplasies by looking for traits that arose independently in different taxa.

Step-by-step explanation:

Reconstruction of Land Plant Phylogeny

To reconstruct the phylogeny of land plants, we would need to examine the traces of evolution as seen through the morphological and genetic characteristics of plants. However, since a data matrix and specific details to calculate the tree length are not provided, we cannot perform an exact reconstruction or calculation. Typically, the tree length is the sum of the lengths of all the branches in the phylogenetic tree, representing the minimum number of changes needed to explain the diversity observed among the taxa. In relation to seed plants, the sister group among the provided taxa would likely be a group that shares the most recent common ancestor with seed plants that are not shared by any other group.

Identifying synapomorphies, or shared derived characteristics, requires analyzing the phylogenetic tree and noting traits that appear along the branches. Homoplasies, or traits that have arisen independently in different lineages (convergent evolution or evolutionary reversals), can also be identified by inconsistencies in the tree where similar traits are found in unrelated taxa.

To delve into specifics, one would need to conduct a detailed analysis using a variety of methods including examination of anatomical structures, embryonic development, fossil records, and molecular biology techniques such as DNA sequencing and computational analysis.