Question

When fossils are not available for the construction of phylogenetic tree, the classification is done using

• A. all of the above
• B. cytotaxonomy
• C. numerical taxonomy
• D. chemotaxonomy

Answer 1

The correct option is A all of the above

Construction of a phylogenetic tree employs both living organisms and fossils. When finding fossil information is difficult, information is gathered from several sources and processed using several aids such as numerical taxonomy, cytotaxonomy and chemotaxonomy.

Numerical taxonomy is the classification of organisms by comparing large numbers of observable characteristics in different organisms.

Cytotaxonomy is the classification of organisms based on cytological characters like chromosome number, morphology and chromosomal behaviour during meiosis between different taxons.

Chemotaxonomy is the classification of plants based on the similarities in the structure of the chemical compounds produced by them.