Question

A scientist hypothesizes that a bird species on a particular island may be closely related to a species on a nearby island. Which of the following types of information would be most useful for determining how closely related the two bird species are?A. the DNA sequences of the speciesB. the behaviors of the speciesC. the diets of the speciesD. the physical appearances of the species

Answer 1

Two species are more related if they have a more recent common ancestor, being some of the criteria that scientists use to determine how closely related some species are: the similarity of behavior, genes, features, and reproductive characteristics. Being the anatomy and genetics the most used criteria. In the question, all the information in the alternatives can be useful for determining the proximity between the two birds species, however the most useful is the DNA sequences study, since it is a molecular proof of genetic similarity that can not be emulate by environment conditions.