Consider two very distantly related species, Species A and Species B. These species live in distinct but similar environments an
d share a trait that improves their survival and reproduction in their respective environments. Which of the following is the most likely reason that Species A and Species B share this trait? descent from a common ancestor gene flow convergent evolution genetic drift
If we have two species that share a similar trait or look alike a lot, but they live in places isolated from each other, and they only have a very distant relation, then it is a case of convergent evolution. This type of evolution occurs with species that are not closely related, but they live in environments where having the same or very similar traits is advantageous. This can often lead to a confusion when looking at the species only on the outside, and it can be very misleading. As an example we can take the sabretoothed predators that existed in the past. Both the smiloden and the thylacosmilus had large saber like teeth, and even their bodies looked very similar, so one would assume that they are closely related, but that was not the case. The smilodon was part of the cat family, while the thylacosmilus was a marsupial, making them very distantly related. They developed same same and some very similar traits because their environment created the evolutionary pressure for those traits to develop as they were advantageous, despite them evolving in totally different places and separately.
Abiotic factors are all of the non-living things in an ecosystem. Both biotic and abiotic factors are related to each other in an ecosystem, and if one factor is changed or removed, it can affect the entire ecosystem. Abiotic factors are especially important because they directly affect how organisms survive.
<span>A(n)PRIMITIVE CHARACTER is one present in the common ancestor and all members of the group
Primitive character is also known as ancestral character in phylogenetics. It is defined as a characteristic that has undergone little change since time immemorial and is inherited from a common ancestor of a clad.