Some species in a hypothetical family of beetles are winged, and others are wingless.Which would be most useful in determining whether having wings or being wingless was the ancestral trait?
A) Homoplasies
B) Homologies
C) An outgroup
D) An ingroup
E) Maximum likelihood methods

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

An outgroup is a taxon that is closely related to the group of interest but is not a part of it. By comparing the traits of the outgroup to those of the ingroup, we can determine the ancestral traits. So, in this case, if we compare the traits of the beetles with wings and without wings to an outgroup, we can infer which trait was present in the common ancestor of the group.

Some Species in a Hypothetical Family of Beetles Are Winged