An outgroup is used in phylogenetic analyses to figure out where the root of the tree should be placed (and sometimes which character state is ancestral on the tree). It should be noted here that an outgroup is a lineage that falls outside the clade being studied but is closely related to that clade. Many phylogenetic trees have a single lineage at the base representing a common ancestor. Scientists call such trees' rooted,' which means there is a single ancestral lineage (typically drawn from the bottom or left) to which all organisms represented in the diagram relate. Use EdrawMax Online to create a phylogenetic tree for your project. The free phylogenetic tree outgroup for your project helps you understand how an outgroup is a more distantly related group of organisms that serves as a reference group.
