Question

Circle the pairing of organisms from Model 3 that you predict would have the most divergence in their DNA. Support your choices with a group discussion about morphology (observable characteristics and structure), ecology, and lifestyles of the animals
a. whale and human or whale and tuna
b. pig and rhesus monkey or pig and chicken
c. tuna and fly or tuna and chicken

Answer 1

Answer:

a. whale and tuna

b. pig and chicken

c. tuna and fly

Explanation:

Following, you will find characteristics of each species that differ in the contrasting groups. These descriptions reflect the divergence degree between groups.

a. whale and tuna  

• Whales:  Vertebrate and Big-sized marine mammals. They are long-lived and pulmonate animals. They are relatively slow, and only breathe while they are on the surface, opening the blowhole which covers the narines. Despite being mammals, they lack hair, so they have naked soft skin. They have one dorsal fin, two lateral flippers, and a caudal horizontal fin, which they move up and down. They are viviparous, with internal fecundation, and females carry mammal glands to feed their offspring. They feed on krill and other small animals, which they filtrate using their baleens. Whales exhibit the Type I survivorship curve. Mortality often occurs at the end of the cycle. They have long cycles of life and high probabilities to survive until they are old enough. These species have few descendants and spend too much time and energy in parental care to ensure their reproductive success. They are used to swim deep depth or near the surface depending on the reproductive cycle stage.

• Tuna: Bony marine fish. Fusiform and medium-sized body, fast swimmers. They can live for 15 years. Their body is covered with scams. They have two dorsal fins, two ventral fins, two lateral fins, and a caudal fin which they move from side to side. It swims near the surface and interchange gas using the grills. They have many teeth and feed on anything they can, such as small fishes, zooplankton, crustaceans, and mollusks. They have external fecundation and exhibit the Type III survivorship curve. Significant mortality during the early stages of life. Only a few individuals reach the later life stages, getting to survive their first period of life. Survivors usually have a long life. These species produce big offsprings at the same time, but they provide little or no parental care. Their reproductive success relies on the number of descendants.

b. pig and chicken

• Pigs: Heary Mammal, with thick hairs, called bristles and mammal glands. They are four-legged, have hooves and four fingers. Their snout is long and flexible, with sharp teeth. They have a curly tail and thick and sensitive skin. Naturally, they are herbivorous but became omnivorous in captivity. They can live for ten or fifteen years. Viviparous. Well-developed smell sense and no sudoriparous glands. Territorial, dominant, and highly communicative with partners. They can use more than twenty different sounds. They also exhibit the Type I survivorship curve.

• Chickens: Birds. They have two legs and two wings however, it has never been successful in flying. Their body is cover by feathers. They have no hair, and they do not have teeth either, but they have a corneous peak instead. They are omnivorous. They show sexual dimorphism, especially in feathers and crests. They exhibit the type II survivorship curve. The probabilities of dying are equals all along the cycle, at any age interval. The number of dead individuals remains constant from the beginning to the end of the life cycle. These species have reduced offsprings, and they ensure their reproductive success by providing some significant parental care.

c. tuna and fly

• Tuna: Already described above

• Fly: Flying and small-sized Insects. Dipterous, with their bodies divided into three regions: Head, thorax, and abdomen. They have six appendixes to walk, one pair of wee-developed wings, one pair of vestigial wings, eyes very sensitive to light. The mouthparts are used to lick, suck or bite. Some species can sting and suck blood from humans. Their body is covered with thin hairs and sensory bristles used to taste, feel, and smell. They are attracted by smelly matter, from which they feed on. In general, flies are associated to matter in decomposition and wastes. They have a short life cycle and can live up to twenty-five days. Ovoviviparous species, laying too many eggs that will turn into larvae and finally to the adult fly stage.