What are ancestral character traits?

A. Character traits that must be used when constructing phylogenies.

B. Features that have evolved since the time of the last common ancestor of the species under consideration.

C. Traits present in the last common ancestor of a certain group of species under consideration.

D. Traits that are more specialized than derived characters.

Question

Reginald Bass

Biology

29 August, 11:29

What are ancestral character traits?

A. Character traits that must be used when constructing phylogenies.

B. Features that have evolved since the time of the last common ancestor of the species under consideration.

C. Traits present in the last common ancestor of a certain group of species under consideration.

D. Traits that are more specialized than derived characters.

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Answers (1)

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Lincoln Stanton · Answer 1

C. Traits present in the last common ancestor of a certain group of species under consideration.

Explanation:

Ancestral character traits are the one that is present in the last common ancestor and all of its descendant groups. For example, the presence of the vertebral column is an ancestral trait for all the vertebrate groups such as birds and mammals as it was present in their last common ancestor and is also shared by them.