A systematist includes a lizard in a phylogenetic analysis of relationships among bird families.In this analysis,the lizard would be treated as

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The lizard is not a member of any bird family and thus cannot be included in the ingroup or represented as a derived group or an analogous group. Therefore, the lizard would be treated as the outgroup, serving as a point of comparison for the bird families being analyzed.

A Systematist Includes a Lizard in a Phylogenetic Analysis of Relationships