Question

Your cousin insists that bats and finches are closely related because they both have wings and can fly. You explain that this is not the case because: A. bats and finches are recently evolved species, and therefore cannot be related to one another. B. although the structures look superficially similar and function in the same way, the bat is a mammal and the bones in its wings are more similar to human hands than to a bird’s wing. C. bats and finches are different species, and the species concept says that there is no genetic relationship between groups of individuals. D. adaptive radiation occurs when there are empty niches, and bats and finches are subspecies of the same population.

Answer 1

B. although the structures look superficially similar and function in the same way, the bat is a mammal and the bones in its wings are more similar to human hands than to a bird’s wing.

Step-by-step explanation:

For two different species to be considered to be closely related or evolved from a common ancestor, both species must share structures that are homologous, i.e. organs or skeletal elements must that have similar bone configuration and look similar but do not have to look exactly the same. For example, the limbs of human and the wings of bats do not look similar in function or appearance but have similar bone configuration that suggest both are closely related to have evolved from a common ancestor.

Although, the wings of bats and fly look similar in appearance and function, they do not, they can be referred to as analogous structures that have been developed independently as adaptations for flight. Bats and fly have no common origin.