Question

The eye of the octopus and the eye of a cat show different patterns of structure, yet they perform similar functions. This is an example of
A. Homologous organs that have evolved due to convergent evolution.
B. Analogous organs that have evolved due to convergent evolution.
C. Analogous organs that have evolved due to divergent evolution.
D. Homologous organs that have evolved due to divergent evolution.

Answer 1

Hint: Analogous organs are organs similar in shape and function but their origin, basic plan, and development are dissimilar.

Complete answer: The central idea of biological evolution is that all life on earth shares a common ancestry and some similarities have evolved in other ways.
1. These are called homologies and analogies. Analogous organs are defined as the organs of different animals that are having different structures but perform the same functions.
2. The presence of analogous organs is important evidence for the organic evolution as it indicates that even the different organisms have organs with different structures but they modified these organs to perform a similar function so as to survive in different environments.
3. Similarly, unrelated organisms may be distantly related, but appear very much alike.
4. This usually happens because both organisms were in common adaptations that evolved within similar environmental conditions.
This leads to convergent evolution.
5. For example, insects use wings to fly like bats and birds, but the wing structure and embryonic origin is completely different. These are called analogous structures.
Another example is that of the mammalian eye and octopus' eye.

So, the correct answer is B. Analogous organs that have evolved due to convergent evolution.

Note: It is necessary to determine which type of similarity a feature exhibits to decipher the phylogeny of the organisms being studied.