Question

Which of the following is incorrect regarding the advantages of Molecular data for phylogenetics study?

(a) They are more numerous than fossil records

(b) They are easier to obtain as compared to fossil records

(c) Sampling bias is involved

(d) More clear-cut and robust phylogenetic trees can be constructed with the molecular data

The question was posed to me during an online interview.

Enquiry is from Phylogenetics Basics in chapter Molecular Phylogenetics of Bioinformatics

Answer 1

Correct answer is (c) Sampling bias is involved

The best explanation: There is no sampling bias involved, which helps to mend the gaps in real fossil records. Therefore, they have become favorite and sometimes the only information available for researchers to reconstruct evolutionary history. The advent of the genomic era with tremendous amounts of molecular sequence data has led to the rapid development of molecular phylogenetics.