AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -A widespread example of convergent evolution is the evolution of wings and powered flight in birds, bats and (now extinct) pterosaurs, each of which belong to a different class of organism and therefore have very distant common ancestors.

Detailed explanation-2: -Bird and bat wings are analogous-that is, they have separate evolutionary origins, but are superficially similar because they have both experienced natural selection that shaped them to play a key role in flight. Analogies are the result of convergent evolution.

Detailed explanation-3: -The wings of these organisms are an example of convergent evolution based on their function. It involves the development of the characters expressing similar features in the organisms that are not originated from the same ancestors.

Detailed explanation-4: -A classic example of avian convergence is that between swallows and swifts. Both are specialized for scooping up flying insects, and early ornithologists grouped them together. But detailed analysis of their anatomy revealed swifts to be distant relatives of hummingbirds and swallows to be songbirds.

Detailed explanation-5: -Examples of convergent evolution include the relationship between bat and insect wings, shark and dolphin bodies, and vertebrate and cephalopod eyes. Analogous structures arise from convergent evolution, but homologous structures do not.