Question

Which of the following is untrue regarding the neighbor-joining method?

(a) It is very much like the Fitch-Margoliash method

(b) It is totally dissimilar than the Fitch-Margoliash method

(c) It is especially suitable when the rate of evolution of the separate lineages under consideration varies

(d) When the branch lengths of trees of known topology are allowed to vary in a manner that simulates varying levels of evolutionary change, it is the most reliable method

I had been asked this question in an online interview.

I'm obligated to ask this question of Maximum Parsimony Method topic in chapter Phylogenetic Tree Construction Methods and Programs of Bioinformatics

Answer 1

Correct choice is (b) It is totally dissimilar than the Fitch-Margoliash method

To explain: The neighbor-joining method is very much like the Fitch-Margoliash method except that the choice as to which sequences to pair is determined by a different algorithm. In the situation mentioned in option d, the neighbor-joining method and the Sattath and Taversky method, are the most reliable in predicting the correct tree.