Question

The fact that choanoflagellates and collar cells of sponges resemble each other supports the inference that ________. Group of answer choices choanoflagellates are animals choanoflagellates are more closely related to sponges than they are to protists choanoflagellates and sponges evolved similar cell structures through convergent evolution choanoflagellates and sponges are sister groups

Answer 1

Answer:

choanoflagellates and sponges are sister groups

Explanation:

The choanoflagellates are small unicellular organisms belonging to the Protista kingdom. These microorganisms are collared flagellates morphologically similar to the choanocyte cells of animal sponges, which have a central flagellum surrounded by a collar of microvilli. In consequence, it has been suggested that choanoflagellates may represent the closest living relatives of primitive metazoans (i.e., they are sister groups to sponges). This hypothesis has recently been supported by both molecular phylogenetic and comparative genomic analyses.