Lancelet (outgroup)

Salamander

Leopard

Dolphin

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7

A)

Turtle

Tuna

Lamprey

Character

(1) Backbone

(2) Hinged jaw

(3) Four limbs

(4) Amnion

(5) Milk

(6) Dorsal fin

*Although adult dolphins have only two obvious limbs (their flip have two hind-limb buds, for a total of four limbs. lippers), as embryos they

If you were to create a phylogenetic tree of these organisms, which would branch off first and why?

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Use the image to answer the question.

The lancelet would branch off first in the phylogenetic tree because it is the outgroup and is the most distantly related to the other organisms in the list. This means it would branch off at the base of the tree before any of the other organisms.