vThe phylogenetic chart describes how modern-day elephants (Asian elephants and African elephants) evolved from extinct species. Based on the chart, are Asian elephants more closely related to Mammuthus (mammoths) or Mammuts (mastodons)? Are Mammut mastodons the same species as Paleomastodons? Explain your reasoning for both questions.
Based on the phylogenetic chart, Asian elephants are more closely related to Mammuthus (mammoths) than to Mammuts (mastodons). This can be seen because Asian elephants and mammoths share a more recent common ancestor compared to Asian elephants and mastodons.
Mammut mastodons are not the same species as Paleomastodons. This is because the phylogenetic chart shows that Mammut mastodons are more closely related to modern elephants (Asian elephants and African elephants) than to Paleomastodons. This indicates that Mammut mastodons and Paleomastodons belong to different evolutionary lineages.