AP®︎ Biology: Topic 7.9 Practice Test
Prepare for your quiz, test, or the AP exam with focused practice questions on Topic 7.9 of AP Biology – Phylogeny.
Questions List
Topic 7.9
Question 1 Easy
This question tests the following: EVO-3.B
What do phylogenetic trees and cladograms represent?
What You’re Being Tested On:
Explore the learning objectives taken directly from the College Board’s AP® Biology Curriculum. Ensure you’re prepared for the exact topics covered on the AP® exam, in-class tests, and quizzes, and gain confidence in your mastery of the material.
Topic 7.9: Phylogeny
Learning Objective: 7.9.A
Describe the types of evidence that can be used to infer an evolutionary relationship.
Essential Knowledge: 7.9.A.1
Phylogenetic trees and cladograms show hypothetical evolutionary relationships among lineages that can be tested.
Essential Knowledge: 7.9.A.2
Phylogenetic trees show the amount of change over time calibrated by fossils or a molecular clock, whereas cladograms do not show time scale or the evolutionary difference between groups.
Essential Knowledge: 7.9.A.3
Traits that are either gained or lost during evolution can be used to construct phylogenetic trees and cladograms. The out-group represents the lineage that is least closely related to the remainder of the organisms in the phylogenetic tree or cladogram. i. Shared derived characters can be present in more than one lineage and indicate common ancestry. These are informative for the construction of phylogenetic trees and cladograms. ii. Molecular data typically provide more accurate and reliable evidence than morphological traits in the construction of phylogenetic trees or cladograms.
Learning Objective: 7.9.B
Explain how phylogenetic trees and cladograms can be used to infer evolutionary relatedness.
Essential Knowledge: 7.9.B.1
Phylogenetic trees and cladograms can be used to illustrate speciation that has occurred. The nodes on a tree represent the most recent common ancestor of any two groups or lineages.
Essential Knowledge: 7.9.B.2
Phylogenetic trees and cladograms can be constructed from morphological similarities of living or fossil species and from DNA and protein sequence similarities.
Essential Knowledge: 7.9.B.3
Phylogenetic trees and cladograms represent hypotheses that are constantly being revised based on evidence.
