Answer: A phylogenetic tree constructed using sequence differences in mitochondrial DNA would be most valid for discerning the evolutionary relatedness of traits inherited by cellular organelles.
Explanation: Maternal inheritance or inheritance by cellular organelles are phenotypes controlled by organelle genes. Mitochondria are organelles that contain their own DNA and protein-synthesizing apparatus.
There is a widely held theory concerning the origin which proposes that they were once infectious endosymbiotic prokaryotes that evolved such a dependence on the gene product of the host that they are no longer able to function autonomously.
