Hard: Molecular Taxonomy
Hardbiology
Which molecular feature is most commonly compared to infer deep evolutionary divergence among major eukaryotic lineages?
Select the correct option:
Solution
Incorrect! Answer:
18S rRNA sequences
- Universal Clock: For deep phylogenetic studies (going back millions of years), we need highly conserved molecular markers.
- rRNA: Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes are present in all living things and change very slowly over time.
- Target: In prokaryotes, researchers use 16SΒ rRNA; in eukaryotes, the 18SΒ rRNA sequence is the standard for reconstructing ancient evolutionary relationships.
- Other Features: Size, membrane thickness, or lipid content vary too quickly and are too dependent on environmental/adaptive factors to be reliable markers for deep evolutionary time.
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About This Question
- Subject
- biology
- Chapter
- diversity in living world
- Topic
- hard: molecular taxonomy
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
18S rRNA sequences
- Universal Clock: For deep phylogenetic studies (going back millions of years), we need highly conserved molecular markers.
- rRNA: Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes are present in all living things and change very slowly over time.
- Target: In prokaryotes, researchers use 16SΒ rRNA; in eukaryotes, the 18SΒ rRNA sequence is the standard for reconstructing ancient evolutionary relationships.
- Other Features: Size, membrane thickness, or lipid content vary too quickly and are too dependent on environmental/adaptive factors to be reliable markers for deep evolutionary time.
This hard difficulty biology question is from the chapter diversity in living world, covering the topic of hard: molecular taxonomy. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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