[Campbell Biology P.734] An animal exhibiting protostome development and possessing a trocho... | Practice Question

An animal exhibiting protostome development and possessing a trochophore larva would most likely belong to which clade based on the provided phylogenetic tree and text?

  • A: Deuterostomia
  • B: Ecdysozoa
  • C: Lophotrochozoa
  • D: Cnidaria
  • E: Acoela

Explanation

The problem statement and Question 7 on the page explicitly links 'protostome development' with 'trochophore larva'. The Lophotrochozoa clade is a major group of protostomes that are characterized by either a lophophore a ciliated feeding structure or a trochophore larva. The phylogenetic tree also places Lophotrochozoa within the Bilateria, distinguishing them from Deuterostomia and Ecdysozoa, and shows their position relative to the development of three germ layers and bilateral symmetry.