10.Your professor wants you to construct a phylogenetic tree of orchids. She gives you tissue from seven orchid species and one lily. What is the most likely reason she gave you the lily

The answer is - To serve as an outgroup

Explanation:

The options are;

a) to see if the lily and the orchids show all the same shared derived characters (synapomorphies)

b) to demonstrate likely homoplasies

c) to see if the lily is a cryptic orchid species

d) to serve as an outgroup

The answer is D- To serve as an Outgroup

A phylogenetic tree is also called an evolutionary tree and it shows the evolutionary relationships that exists among organisms called taxa based on their physical or genetic similarities and differences. The Phylogenetic tree consists of ingroup and outgroup. The ingroup consists of a group of closely related organisms or taxon while the outgroup represents a more distantly related group of organisms or taxon but as close as possible to the  ingroup.

The Lily represents the outgroup in the phylogenetic tree while the Orchid are the ingroup. This is because the Lily is distantly related to the orchid.

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