The Concept of Developmental Constraint May Be Defined as ________

Question

The concept of developmental constraint may be defined as ________.
A) the sudden appearance of new phenotypes
B) homoplasy that results from the same underlying developmental mechanism
C) phenotypic similarity due to descent from a common ancestor
D) a bias toward certain kinds of variation in phenotype
E) the fact that all animals develop using the same "toolkit" of Hox genes

Accepted Answer

Developmental constraint refers to the concept that certain pathways of development are more likely to be followed due to restrictions or biases in the developmental process. This can result in a bias toward certain kinds of variation in phenotype, such as the preservation of certain traits or structures over time, and can limit the amount of variation that is possible in a particular trait. Therefore, choice D is the best answer representing the bias toward certain kinds of variation in phenotype.