Question

You are constructing a phylogeny of a hypothetical group of insects. Several of the species have a pattern of four veins on the forewing while another group of species has a pattern of six veins. The three outgroups in your analysis also have a pattern of four veins. From this you can conclude:

(a) the trait of having six veins is a synapomorphy
(b) the ancestral state is most likely six veins
(c) the group with four veins is monophyletic
a and c are correct
b and c are correct

Answer 1

The ancestral state is most likely four veins based on the given information.

Step-by-step explanation:

The answer to this question is (b) the ancestral state is most likely four veins.

To construct a phylogeny, we need to identify shared characteristics among species. From the given information, we know that several species have four veins on the forewing, while another group has six veins. The three outgroups also have four veins. Outgroups are species that diverged before the group of interest. Since the outgroups have four veins, it suggests that four veins are the ancestral state. This means that the group with six veins acquired a new trait through evolutionary modification.

Therefore, based on the information provided, we can conclude that the ancestral state is most likely four veins.