Some organisms that appear very closely related may not actually be closely related. Why is this?

1. There are cases where organisms used to be closely related but diverged from each other and no longer look closely related.

2. There are cases where organisms can interbreed making them look like a single species, when in fact they are not closely related at all.

3. There are cases where organisms evolved through convergence and appear closely related but are not.

4. There are cases when extremely distant taxa can recombine into a single group.

Choose the correct answer and Provide 4-5 line explanation with an example.

Solution:

The correct answer is options 1, 2, and 3.

1.    Evolutionary divergence: 

Organisms that were once closely related may diverge from each other and no longer appear closely related. This occurs due to the accumulation of genetic differences over time. For example, whales and hippopotamuses share a common ancestor from about 60 million years ago, but due to their divergent evolution, they do not look closely related.

2.    Hybridization: 

Organisms may interbreed and produce offspring that appear to be closely related but are not actually closely related. This occurs when two different species interbreed and produce hybrids. For example, mules are hybrids of donkeys and horses but are not separate species in themselves.

3.    Convergence: 

Even though they are not closely related, organisms may appear closely related due to convergent evolution. This occurs when two different species evolve similar traits due to similar environmental pressures. For example, sharks and dolphins have similar streamlined body shapes but are not closely related.

4.    Recombination: 

Extremely distant taxa can recombine into a single group through horizontal gene transfer. This occurs when genetic material is transferred between unrelated organisms. For example, bacteria can transfer genetic material between each other through a process called conjugation, resulting in the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes. However, this process is unlikely to result in organisms that appear closely related.