Question

The winter coat of some animals like the rock ptarmigan, mountain hare and arctic fox are selected for seasonal white phenotypes during the winter in order to blend in with the snow. This represents an example of __________________________

Answer choices:

A) Common ancestry

B) Vestigial Structures

C) Convergence

D) All of the above

Answer 1

ANSWER

Option C is correct i.e. convergence.

Explanation- Mountain hare, rock ptarmigan and arctic fox are considered to be distantly-related organisms. These species exhibit seasonal color change and cover themselves in a complete white coat during winter. However, they again change their coat from white to brown color during summer. This feature helps organisms to adapt well in that environment and is known as seasonal camouflage.

It is an example of an analogous structure which is characterized by the presence of similar morophological traits in different species that arise when they inhabit same environment. In other words, these species do not share common ancestry and are evolved separately during the course of time due to selective environmental pressure. This type of evolution is known as convergence.

This feature does not belong to a vestigial form because it is functional and is required to survive and adapt to the changing climate. In contrast, vestigial structure is non-functional (or poorly functional) and is present in the rudimentary form in the organism.