Question

Study the table, and figure out the order of evolution of each character. You have been given reason to believe that, based on the fossil record, Xenite A is the ancestral species. Create a cladogram for the Xenites.

Table below:
Xenite A. no spines, no eyestalks, no tail, no mouth
Xenite B. no spines, yes eyestalks, no tail, yes mouth
Xenite C. no spines, yes eyestalks, yes tail, yes mouth
Xenite D. yes spines, yes eyestalks, no tail, no mouth
Xenite E. yes spines, yes eyestalks, no tail, no mouth
Xenite F. yes spines, yes eyestalks, yes tail, yes mouth

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

Based on the characteristics of the Xenites provided in the table, the order of evolution can be inferred as follows:

Xenite A (ancestral species) -> Xenite B -> Xenite C -> Xenite D -> Xenite E -> Xenite F

Cladogram:
Xenite A
/ \
Xenite B Xenite D
/ \
Xenite C Xenite E
\
Xenite F