Question

According to the findings of researchers in the field known as "evo-devo," what kinds of genetic changes are often involved in reshaping the body forms of organisms?

A. Changes in genes that control development have big effects by altering the developmental process.
B. One or more mutations re-create the genome of a past ancestor, leading to formation of a "living fossil" species.
C. The total number of genes is increased to provide for any increase in an organism's complexity.
D. New genes arise and produce new classes of proteins.

Answer 1

In evo-devo, genetic changes reshaping organisms often involve genes that control development, with gene duplication being a key mechanism for evolution. Even minor mutations can have large effects over evolutionary time spans.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to the field known as 'evo-devo', or evolutionary developmental biology, the most important genetic changes that are involved in reshaping the body forms of organisms have to do with changes in genes that control development. These changes often have significant effects by altering the developmental process. An example of such genetic changes is gene duplication, where an entire gene is copied in the genome. This duplication allows for one copy to mutate and potentially take on new functions over evolutionary time spans, while the other copy continues performing its original function.

The changes in developmental genes can be relatively minor, but because embryos are fragile, even small mutations can lead to significant differences in the adult organism. The correct answer to the student's question is A: Changes in genes that control development have big effects by altering the developmental process.