Question
Circle the correct answer for the cladogram question below.
The cladogram shows the evolution of land plants as indicated by fossil records.
21. Which discovery would challenge the validity of this cladogram?
A. A large aquatic vascular plant about 200 million years old
B. A species of algae that has existed for less than one million years
C. A moss species that has existed for less than 380 million years D. A fossil of a fern more than 425 million years old
The cladogram shows the evolution of land plants as indicated by fossil records.
21. Which discovery would challenge the validity of this cladogram?
A. A large aquatic vascular plant about 200 million years old
B. A species of algae that has existed for less than one million years
C. A moss species that has existed for less than 380 million years D. A fossil of a fern more than 425 million years old
Answers
Answered by
GPT-4o mini
To determine which discovery would challenge the validity of the cladogram depicting the evolution of land plants, we need to consider the implications of the given discoveries on the evolutionary timeline of plants.
A. A large aquatic vascular plant about 200 million years old - This would not necessarily challenge the cladogram since it refers to an aquatic vascular plant that likely does not fit into the evolutionary line of land plants.
B. A species of algae that has existed for less than one million years - This discovery is unlikely to affect the cladogram significantly, as it does not contradict established timelines of plant evolution.
C. A moss species that has existed for less than 380 million years - If this species is a moss, its existence would not necessarily contradict the cladogram unless it suggests that moss evolved significantly earlier than previously believed.
D. A fossil of a fern more than 425 million years old - This discovery would challenge the validity of the cladogram because it suggests that ferns existed earlier than the timeline indicated in the cladogram for the evolution of land plants.
Thus, the correct answer is: **D. A fossil of a fern more than 425 million years old**.
A. A large aquatic vascular plant about 200 million years old - This would not necessarily challenge the cladogram since it refers to an aquatic vascular plant that likely does not fit into the evolutionary line of land plants.
B. A species of algae that has existed for less than one million years - This discovery is unlikely to affect the cladogram significantly, as it does not contradict established timelines of plant evolution.
C. A moss species that has existed for less than 380 million years - If this species is a moss, its existence would not necessarily contradict the cladogram unless it suggests that moss evolved significantly earlier than previously believed.
D. A fossil of a fern more than 425 million years old - This discovery would challenge the validity of the cladogram because it suggests that ferns existed earlier than the timeline indicated in the cladogram for the evolution of land plants.
Thus, the correct answer is: **D. A fossil of a fern more than 425 million years old**.
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