Note: Please explain in detail for the correct answer choice. Question: In a modern system of classification, two organisms would be most closely related if they were classified in the same Answer choices: A. kingdom B. genus C. phylum or D. species
The correct answer choice is D. species. In modern classification systems, organisms that belong to the same species are considered to be the most closely related. This is because individuals that belong to the same species share many physical and genetic characteristics, including the ability to interbreed and produce viable offspring.
Kingdom, phylum and genus are broader categories of classifying organisms, and organisms that belong to the same category may not necessarily be closely related to each other. For example, organisms from different kingdoms, such as plants and animals, are not closely related despite belonging to the same domain of Eukarya.
In contrast, individuals that belong to different species may still be related, but to a lesser degree. The further two organisms are from each other on the classification tree, the less closely related they would be.