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Vestigiality. In humans, the vermiform appendix is sometimes called a vestigial structure as it has lost much of its ancestral digestive function. Vestigiality is the retention, during the process of evolution, of genetically determined structures or attributes that have lost some or all of the ancestral function in a given species. [1]
Evidence for common descent comes from the existence of vestigial structures. [72] These rudimentary structures are often homologous to structures that correspond in related or ancestral species. A wide range of structures exist such as mutated and non-functioning genes, parts of a flower, muscles, organs, and even behaviors.
Plant reproductive morphology. Close-up of a flower of Schlumbergera (Christmas or Holiday Cactus), showing part of the gynoecium (the stigma and part of the style is visible) and the stamens that surround it. Plant reproductive morphology is the study of the physical form and structure (the morphology) of those parts of plants directly or ...
Human vestigiality. The muscles connected to the ears of a human do not develop enough to have the same mobility allowed to monkeys. Arrows show the vestigial structure called Darwin's tubercle. In the context of human evolution, vestigiality involves those traits occurring in humans that have lost all or most of their original function through ...
Prickles on a blackberry branch. In plant morphology, thorns, spines, and prickles, and in general spinose structures (sometimes called spinose teeth or spinose apical processes), are hard, rigid extensions or modifications of leaves, roots, stems, or buds with sharp, stiff ends, and generally serve the same function: physically defending plants against herbivory.
Dried examples of "neotropical anachronisms" from Brazil, Peru, and Nicaragua in the herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden. [1]Evolutionary anachronism, also known as "ecological anachronism", [1] is a term initially referring to attributes of native plant species (primarily fruit, but also thorns) that seemed best explained as having been favorably selected in the past due to their ...
Plant morphology. Phytomorphology is the study of the physical form and external structure of plants. [1] This is usually considered distinct from plant anatomy, [1] which is the study of the internal structure of plants, especially at the microscopic level. [2] Plant morphology is useful in the visual identification of plants.
The recurrent evolution of flight is a classic example, as flying insects, birds, pterosaurs, and bats have independently evolved the useful capacity of flight. Functionally similar features that have arisen through convergent evolution are analogous , whereas homologous structures or traits have a common origin but can have dissimilar functions.