What does the linear relationship between sequence differences and divergence time across taxa support?
- A
Horizontal gene transfer being widespread
- Bcheck_circle
A roughly constant molecular clock for the gene
- C
Selection acting strongly on the gene
- D
Drastic acceleration of mutations in older lineages
Explanation
The molecular clock hypothesis posits that neutral substitutions accumulate at an approximately constant rate over time. A linear plot of differences vs. divergence time supports this clock-like behavior.