Questions: You are studying the evolutionary relationships of lizards and snakes, turtles, crocodiles and alligators, and birds. This is the group of interest. In this case, mammals are: - ancestor. - outgroup. - homology. - ingroup.

You are studying the evolutionary relationships of lizards and snakes, turtles, crocodiles and alligators, and birds. This is the group of interest. In this case, mammals are:
- ancestor.
- outgroup.
- homology.
- ingroup.

Transcript text: You are studying the evolutionary relationships of lizards and snakes, turtles, crocodiles and alligators, and birds. This is the group of interest. In this case, mammals are $a(n)$ : - ancestor. - outgroup. - homology. - ingroup.

Solution

Solution Steps

Step 1: Analyzing the question

The question asks for the classification of mammals in a phylogenetic study focused on the evolutionary relationships between lizards and snakes, turtles, crocodiles and alligators, and birds. The group of interest includes the reptiles and birds.

Step 2: Identifying the outgroup

Mammals are not part of the group being studied (reptiles and birds). They are distantly related and serve as a comparison point.