Question

Mr. Morales is teaching a lesson on classification. He says that spiders are classified as a different group of insects because they have eight legs instead of six legs. He explains that spiders evolved first. Mr.Morales also says that having eight legs is the derived trait that seperates the two groups. Antonio thinks Mr.Morales is wrong. Which piece of information is Antonio considering?

Answer 1

If spiders evolved first, six legs is the derived trait

Answer 2

Antonio is right Mr. Morales considered eight legs to be a derived trait when it is an ancestral one.

Step-by-step explanation:

If spiders evolved first then having eight legs is an ancestral trait and having six legs is a derived one. Mr. Morales says that having eight legs is a trait that separates the two groups which may be correct, but it is an ancestral trait, not a derived one because organisms with eight legs cannot derive from a six-legged ancestor. Rather it is the opposite. That is the piece of information that Antonio is considering.