Gill Pouches in Chick, Human, and House- Cat Embryos Are

Question

Gill pouches in chick, human, and house- cat embryos are an example of
A) the inheritance of acquired characters.
B) structural homology.
C) developmental homology.
D) genetic homology.

Accepted Answer

The presence of gill pouches in chick, human, and house-cat embryos is a shared developmental homology, suggesting that these organisms share a common ancestor with gills. This is not an example of inheritance of acquired characters (A), as the trait is not acquired during an organism's lifetime and passed down to offspring. It is also not an example of structural homology (B), which refers to the similarity of structure and function between different organisms due to common ancestry. Finally, genetic homology (D) refers to similarities in genetic sequences between different organisms, which is not directly relevant to the development of gill pouches.