alleryStart learning →Analogous structures mislead the unwary because similarity of form can arise without:
AAny environmental pressure
BAny genetic material
CAny physical function
DShared evolutionary origin
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. Shared evolutionary origin
1. Homologous structures overlap both morphologically and genetically.
2. They stem from developmental similarities that are based on evolution.
3. Structures lacking that shared basis are called analogous structures.
4. So two lineages can converge on the same shape without inheriting it from a common ancestor.
5. Environmental pressure is in fact what usually drives such convergence.
_Source: OpenStax Biology for AP(R) Courses (CC BY 4.0), Ch 20 'Phylogenies and the History of Life', sections 20.1-20.3_
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