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

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The grasshoppers are included as the outgroup, which is a taxon that is closely related to the ingroup (which in this case are crickets) but diverged from the common ancestor before the diversification of the ingroup. Studying the outgroup helps to determine which traits are ancestral in the ingroup.

A Group of Biologists Primarily Studying the Evolutionary Relationships of Crickets