What evidence suggests the complex camera eye evolved independently in vertebrates and cephalopods?
Answer
The proteins and regulatory genes used for structure building are different, and developmental pathways vary.
Biologists found that the genetic machinery is distinct; for instance, in vertebrates, the lens develops from surface ectoderm, but in cephalopods, it develops from the epidermis over the optic stalk, confirming independent evolution despite the similar result.
Related Questions
What is the definition of convergent evolution?What serves as the core engine driving the process of evolutionary convergence?What term describes the structures that arise through convergent evolution?Which environmental factor repeatedly results in fish, marine reptiles, and marine mammals developing a fusiform body plan?What similarity is observed between American cacti and African euphorbias due to convergent evolution?What concept is characterized by similar function but different deep ancestry?If two organisms share a structural trait because both inherited it from a recent ancestor, what is this similarity called?How do the wings of a bat and a bird fundamentally differ structurally, despite both enabling flight?What evolutionary mechanism is often involved when selection favors the co-option of existing structures to create a convergent trait?What evidence suggests the complex camera eye evolved independently in vertebrates and cephalopods?