Final answer:
An uninformative trait in cladistics is one that is shared with the out-group, making it less useful for understanding evolutionary relationships as it doesn't indicate a shared derived character necessary for constructing a phylogenetic tree. The correct option is e. it is shared with the out group
Step-by-step explanation:
When comparing traits in a group of species, an uninformative trait could be shared with the out-group. This means that the trait exists both within the clade being studied and in species outside the clade.
Such traits are not useful for determining the evolutionary relationships within the clade because they do not indicate a shared derived character, which is a trait that evolved in the ancestor of a group and is present in its descendants but is not found outside the group.
Shared ancestral characteristics are widespread and found in all members of the clade, making them less informative for working out the finer details of evolutionary relationships.
The use of shared derived characters is crucial in cladistics for constructing a phylogenetic tree that reflects evolutionary history and for identifying a monophyletic group or clade, which includes a common ancestor and all of its descendants. The correct option is e. it is shared with the out-group