Correct question:
- In the Animals cladogram, which trait evolved two different times?
- Think and discuss: What could cause similar traits to evolve independently in different species?
You will find the cladogram in the attached files.
Answer:
- Bipedalism is the trait that evolved two different times
- Different organisms in different spaces and times face the need to adapt to a similar environment. They manage to solve a problem from that particular ecological niche by developing the same traits, even when the involved groups are not closely related.
Step-by-step explanation:
Through the process of Convergent evolution, two phylogenetically independent organisms get to develop similar structures. These structures make possible a better performance in a similar environment. These organisms are morphologically or ethologically similar in their whole bodies or just in parts.
Convergent evolution occurs in different phylogenetic branches independently from each other. It results from the need for different organisms to adapt to a similar environment and to solve a problem from that particular ecological niche. Ecological pressures acting on them might be similar, modeling the organisms´ phenotype. Each evolutive branch ends by developing the same structures, which they both find effective in their environment.
In the given cladogram, the trait that evolved twice in evolution is bipedalism, reflecting the same need for chickens and humans to adapt to their environment in the same way and according to their habits.