phylogenetic evidence biological aspect of ancestor evidence A type of phylogenetic evidence whereby an aspect of a descendant gene is inferred through the characterization of an aspect of an ancestral gene. ECO:0000308 First, a characteristic of the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) is inferred from experimental evidence in descendants; this is followed by inferring a characteristic of a descendant of the MRCA. This type of evidence can be used in support of both positive and "not" GO annotations. mchibucos eco 2011-02-04T05:41:26Z