Question

Evidence for descent with modification, vestigial structures, and organs in animals demonstrate:

A) Adaptive radiation.
B) Genetic drift.
C) Common ancestry.
D) Lamarckian evolution.

Answer 1

Evidence like vestigial structures suggests common ancestry in organisms by showing anatomical remnants of features that were functional in their evolutionary predecessors.

Step-by-step explanation:

Evidence for descent with modification, such as vestigial structures and organs in animals, demonstrates common ancestry. Vestigial structures are anatomical remnants that were functional in the organism's ancestors but are now reduced or unused in the modern organism. For example, the pelvic bones in whales and the flightless wings of an ostrich are both vestigial structures indicating that these species evolved from ancestors that used these structures differently. Over time, evolution has led to changes in the utility or necessity of these structures, but they remain as evidence of the organism's evolutionary history. These examples of vestigial structures serve to demonstrate that organisms have descended from a common ancestor, adapting over time to their changing environments.