90 million years ago (mya), a single bat species existed on a landmass. That species served as a common ancestor of the four bat species now found in the region. The image below shows how the landmasses have changed over time and the current distribution of the bat species. Based on the geographical distribution of the bats over time, which of the following is most likely true about the evolutionary relationship of these species? *
0 points
90 mya
60 mya
30 mya
Present
W
Time
A. Species W shares a more recent common ancestor with species Y than with species X.
B. Species Z shares a more recent common ancestor with species X than with species W.
C. Species X shares a more recent common ancestor with species W than with
species Z.
D. Species Y shares a more recent common ancestor with species W than with species Z.
the answer is B. species Z shares a more recent common ancestor with species X then with species W
I don't see an "image below".
Based on the information provided, we can analyze the geographical distribution of the bat species over time to determine the most likely evolutionary relationship.
According to the image, at 90 million years ago (mya), there was a single bat species on a landmass. This species served as a common ancestor to the four bat species found in the region today.
Moving forward in time, at 60 mya, two landmasses are shown, and species X and species Y are found on separate landmasses. This suggests that species X and species Y had already diverged from their common ancestor and had different evolutionary paths.
At 30 mya, a third landmass appears, and species Z is found on this landmass. This suggests that species Z had a separate evolutionary path from species X and species Y.
In the present day, all four species are found in the region, each on separate landmasses.
Based on this analysis, the most likely true statement about the evolutionary relationship of these species is:
C. Species X shares a more recent common ancestor with species W than with species Z.
Since species X and species W are found on the same landmass in the present day and share a landmass at 90 mya, it suggests a closer evolutionary relationship between species X and W compared to species X and Z.
To answer this question, let's analyze the geographical distribution of the bat species over time.
90 million years ago (mya), there was a single bat species on a landmass. This species served as a common ancestor for the four bat species existing in the present. We need to determine the evolutionary relationships based on the current distribution of these bat species.
Looking at the image provided, we can see that species X and Y are found in separate landmasses, while species W and Z are found on the same landmass. This implies that species X and Y have been isolated from each other for a longer period of time compared to species W and Z.
Considering this, we can eliminate options A and D as both suggest that species X or Y share a more recent common ancestor with species W.
Now, let's evaluate options B and C.
Option B states that species Z shares a more recent common ancestor with species X than with species W. This would imply that the separation between species W and Z occurred earlier compared to the separation between species X and Z. However, upon examining the image, we can see that the landmass where species X and Z are currently found separated from the landmass where species W is found more recently. Therefore, option B is not supported by the information provided.
Option C states that species X shares a more recent common ancestor with species W than with species Z. This aligns with the image, as the landmass where species X and Z are currently found separated earlier than the landmass where species W is found. Therefore, species X is more closely related to species W than to Z.
In conclusion, the most likely true statement about the evolutionary relationship of these bat species, based on the given information, is:
C. Species X shares a more recent common ancestor with species W than with species Z.