The following binary character matrix describes four plant species (A, B, C, D). ‘1' denotes presence of the character, ‘0' denotes absence.

| Character | A | B | C | D |
|-----------|---|---|---|---|
| Hair | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Seed type (nut) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Leaf venation (parallel) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Flower parts (5) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |

Using the principle of maximum similarity (the pair sharing the greatest number of identical character states is considered most closely related), determine which two species are most closely related. Show the count of shared characters for each pair.

Question

The following binary character matrix describes four plant species (A, B, C, D). ‘1' denotes presence of the character, ‘0' denotes absence.

| Character | A | B | C | D |
|-----------|---|---|---|---|
| Hair | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Seed type (nut) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Leaf venation (parallel) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Flower parts (5) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |

Using the principle of maximum similarity (the pair sharing the greatest number of identical character states is considered most closely related), determine which two species are most closely related. Show the count of shared characters for each pair.

Accepted Answer

Species A and Species D (they share four of the four characters, the highest similarity).

Gce Model Questions Vol1 2025 Biology Question 35

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