A scientist finds a new organism that may be either a bird or a bat, but it is not clear which group it belongs to.He is pretty sure that the organism has analogous structures with bats and homologous structures with birds, as suggested by genomic data.The organism has one trait that is shared with bats but not birds.Which group should he choose for the new organism and why?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The scientist should choose birds because the organism has homologous structures with them, indicating a closer evolutionary relationship. The trait shared only with bats is derived, meaning it evolved more recently in the bat lineage. Therefore, it is more likely that the organism is a bird with a newly evolved trait, rather than a bat with ancestral traits shared with birds.

A Scientist Finds a New Organism That May Be Either