The absence of stripes on the wings is the ancestral state of a family of butterflies.One lineage contains five species, four with red stripes and one with no stripes.Genetic analysis revealed that the species without stripes recently lost these stripes.This is an example of _______, which is a(n) _______.
A) an evolutionary reversal; homoplasy
B) an evolutionary reversal; synapomorphy
C) convergent evolution; homoplasy
D) convergent evolution; synapomorphy
E) convergent evolution; evolutionary reversal

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This scenario describes an evolutionary reversal, where a trait that was present in a common ancestor (stripes on the wings) was lost in one of the descendant species. The loss of the stripes is homoplasy, meaning it is a shared trait that evolved independently in multiple lineages. Therefore, A) an evolutionary reversal; homoplasy is the best choice. The other options involve convergent evolution or synapomorphies, which do not apply to this scenario.

The Absence of Stripes on the Wings Is the Ancestral