The vertebrates, which include organisms such as humans, birds, and frogs, illustrate that very different forms can evolve from one basic body plan. The observation that these diverse organisms share a general body plan supports the hypothesis that

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The shared general body plan among diverse organisms supports the hypothesis that they evolved from a common ancestor and form a lineage. This is the basic idea behind the theory of evolution and the concept of common descent. Option A is not supported by the evidence because these organisms are not simply variations of the same species. Option B is a partial explanation for the evolution of specific traits, but it does not account for the overall similarity in body plans. Option D is also a partial explanation for convergent evolution, but it is not relevant to the case of vertebrate body plans that evolved from a common ancestor.

The Vertebrates, Which Include Organisms Such as Humans, Birds, and Frogs