list the three types of characters used to construct a phylogeny

1 answer

1. Outgroup: A taxon that is known to have diverged prior to the divergence of the other taxa being studied. It is used to root the phylogenetic tree.

2. Ingroup: The group of taxa that are being studied in order to construct the phylogeny. These taxa are thought to have a closer evolutionary relationship to each other than to the outgroup.

3. Character: Traits or features used to determine relationships among taxa. Characters can be morphological, molecular, behavioral, or ecological. These characters are compared to determine evolutionary relationships and construct phylogenetic trees.