Which one of the following cladograms represents the correct phylogenetic relationships in the Kingdom Animalia?
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Cladograms represent evolutionary relationships based on shared ancestry and characteristics. The correct tree structure follows the actual phylogeny of the species.
Step 1: Understand the phylogenetic relationships.
The correct cladogram should reflect the evolutionary relationships among the species. Humans are more closely related to fish and fruit fly (as vertebrates), and Hydra is more distantly related to these species. Nematodes are more distantly related to the other species, making the order of the tree important.
Step 2: Evaluate the options.
Option (A): Correct, this cladogram correctly places Hydra as a separate lineage from the vertebrates, while showing the closer evolutionary relationship between fish and fruit fly.
Option (B): Incorrect, the relationships do not reflect the true phylogeny of the species.
Option (C): Incorrect, the placement of the organisms does not match their actual evolutionary distances.
Option (D): Incorrect, the cladogram does not reflect the accurate relationships among these species.
Hence, the correct answer is (A).
