- Exam
- NEET
- Subject
- Zoology
- Chapter
- Evolution
NEET · Zoology · Evolution
Which example represents an analogous structure?
Options
- AForelimbs of mammals
- BThorn of Bougainvillea and tendril of Cucurbita
- CWings of a butterfly and a bird
- DVertebrate hearts
Correct answer
C. Wings of a butterfly and a bird
Step-by-step solution
The wings of a butterfly and a bird are analogous structures because they perform the same function (flight) but have different anatomical origins.Hence, analogous structures are a result of convergent evolution - different structures evolving for the same function and hence having similarity. Other examples of analogy are the eye of the octopus and of mammals or the flippers of Penguins and Dolphins. One can say that it is the similar habitat that has resulted in selection of similar adaptive features in different groups of organisms but toward the same function: Sweet potato (root modification) and potato (stem modification) is another example for analogy. In the same line of argument, similarities in proteins and genes performing a given function among diverse organisms give clues to common ancestry. These biochemical similarities point to the same shared ancestry as structural similarities among diverse organisms.