The last universal common ancestor of all living things is a thought to live between 3.5 and 3.8 billion years ago this is the last organism with which the organisms of they share common descent despite their differences all living things share the same basic characteristics of life Examine the phylogenetic tree below then choose the response that explains why in terms of the characteristics of life both bacteria kingdoms are separated under the tree from animals plants protists and fungi
1 answer
The reason why both bacteria kingdoms are separated from animals, plants, protists, and fungi on the phylogenetic tree is due to their fundamental differences in terms of characteristics of life. Bacteria are unicellular prokaryotic organisms, while animals, plants, protists, and fungi are all eukaryotic organisms. Prokaryotes lack a true nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles, while eukaryotes have a nucleus and other compartmentalized organelles. This fundamental difference in cellular structure and organization is reflected in their evolutionary relationships and placement on the phylogenetic tree.