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Using the principle of parsimony, mark where each host shift occurred on the phy

ID: 276778 • Letter: U

Question

Using the principle of parsimony, mark where each host shift occurred on the phylogeny and indicate which species the flu shifted from and to. You can neatly write abbreviated common names on the phylogeny (example: Ch->Hu), or number each transmission and then list which animal the flu shifted from and to. Also indicate which host the common ancestor of all OTUs infected and the total number of host shifts.

100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 60 80 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 Total # of host shifts

Explanation / Answer

The host that is common ancestor of all the OTUs infected is the shore birds. The first transmission is directly to the pig that is present below. ie from shore birds->pig. And the second transmission which is divided to two clades where in the first clade hen,horse,shore bird,hen and pig is present and other clade has human,horse and pig. The second transmission occured from shore birds->hen->horse. The third transmission is shorebird->shorebird->hen->pig. In the second clade fourth transmission from pig->horse->human. And the total number of host shifts is shore bird to hen is 1 and shore bird to horse is 2 and shore bird to shore bird is 3 and to chicken is 4 and then to pig is 5. In other clade shorebird to pig in one classification that is divergent is 6 and convergently shore bird to pig is 7 and to horse is 8 and finally to human which is 9. So the total number of host shifts is 9.