evolutionary distance is a measure of the time two lineages have been diverging. it is calculated by adding…
evolutionary distance is a measure of the time two lineages have been diverging. it is calculated by adding the branch lengths of the two lineages starting at the most recent common ancestor. for example, if lineage 1 has been evolving for 2 years and lineage 2 has been evolving for 2 years, the evolutionary distance between the lineages is 4 years. what is the evolutionary distance between viruses a and b?
Answer
Explanation:
Step1: Identify the divergence time
From the tree, viruses A and B diverged from their most - recent common ancestor in 2010.
Step2: Calculate the branch lengths
Since both viruses A and B have been evolving for 10 years (from 2010 - 2020).
Step3: Calculate the evolutionary distance
The evolutionary distance is the sum of the branch lengths of the two lineages starting at the most - recent common ancestor. So, (10 + 10=20) years.
Answer:
20 years