Question 59
(Multiple Choice)
The following questions refer to this phylogenetic tree, depicting the origins of life and of the three domains. Horizontal lines indicate instances of gene or genome transfer.
Figure 26.4. A possible phylogenetic tree for the three domains of life.
-If the early history of life on Earth is accurately depicted by Figure 26.4, then which statement is least in agreement with the hypothesis proposed by this tree?
A) The last universal common ancestor of all extant species is better described as a community of organisms, rather than an individual species.
B) The origin of the three domains appears as a polytomy.
C) Archaean genomes should contain genes that originated in bacteria, and vice versa.
D) Eukaryotes are more closely related to archaeans than to bacteria.
Answer