Biology / Unit 8 Bio 1663 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Analogous Structures and Homoplasy
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The idea
Analogous structures, or homoplasy, are similar structures that evolved independently in unrelated lineages under similar environmental pressures, not shared ancestry.
In practice
Insect wings and bird wings serve the same flight function but differ in structure and embryonic origin, making them analogous, not homologous.
Where people slip
Two structures can be analogous without being homologous — shared function alone does not imply shared ancestry.
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