Your professor wants you to construct a phylogenetic tree of a type of plant called orchids. She gives you tissue from seven orchid species and one lily plant. What is the most likely reason she gave you the lily?
A) to serve as an outgroup
B) to see if the lily is an ancient orchid species
C) to see if the lily and the orchids show all the same shared derived characters
D) to demonstrate likely genetic similarities

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The lily is given to serve as an outgroup, which is a species or group of species closely related to but not part of the group of interest (in this case, orchids). The outgroup helps to root the phylogenetic tree and provides a point of reference for determining the direction of evolutionary changes.

Your Professor Wants You to Construct a Phylogenetic Tree of a Type