Answer: Share a more recent common ancestor with each other than with any other species.
- A Live in the same habitat with little shared evolutionary history according to standard texts
- B Belong to unrelated families that resemble each other by chance in most observed cases
- C Are two different common names applied to the same organism under typical physiological conditions
- D Share a more recent common ancestor with each other than with any other species
Correct answer: D. Share a more recent common ancestor with each other than with any other species
Explanation: Sister species share an immediate common ancestor exclusive of other species, making them each other's closest relatives on a phylogenetic tree.
The taxonomic hierarchy narrows from Kingdom (broadest, covering the most organisms but fewest shared traits) down to Species (narrowest, fewest organisms but most shared traits) - every level in between is a progressively more specific subset of the one above it.
Concept context
Biodiversity, taxonomy, binomial nomenclature, the taxonomic hierarchy, and taxonomic aids like herbaria and botanical gardens. The foundational first chapter of NCERT Biology.