[Campbell Biology P.612] Which statement accurately describes a key difference between the m... | Practice Question
Which statement accurately describes a key difference between the maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood approaches in phylogenetic tree construction, as described in the text?
A: Maximum parsimony seeks the tree with the fewest evolutionary events, while maximum likelihood identifies the tree most likely to have produced the data based on probability rules.
B: Maximum parsimony is suitable for DNA sequences, whereas maximum likelihood is exclusively used for protein sequences.
C: Maximum parsimony considers all possible trees, but maximum likelihood only considers a subset of trees.
D: Maximum parsimony explicitly accounts for different rates of change among nucleotides, which maximum likelihood does not.
Explanation
The first paragraph states, 'the most parsimonious tree requires the fewest base changes' and 'A maximum likelihood approach identifies the tree most likely to have produced a given set of DNA data based on certain probability rules about how DNA sequences change over time.' This directly aligns with option A.