A group of biologists primarily studying the evolutionary relationships of crickets also include closely related grasshoppers to help determine which traits are ancestral in crickets.The crickets are the
A) ingroup.
B) outgroup.
C) ancestral group.
D) derived group.
E) synapomorphy.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The ingroup is the group of organisms being studied, in this case, the crickets. The grasshoppers are the outgroup as they are closely related but not part of the primary group being studied. Ancestral and derived groups refer to the characteristics of a particular clade rather than the organisms being studied. Synapomorphy refers to a shared derived character among a group of organisms, but is not a choice for this question.

A Group of Biologists Primarily Studying the Evolutionary Relationships of Crickets