Answer to Question #145333 in Cell Biology for rayan ahmed

Question

Discussion Question: You are comparing three species (A, B, and C) and you face a dilemma. Morphologically, species A and B are very similar, but they are both different from species C. However, you have sequenced some genes in all three and the gene sequences indicate a high degree of similarity between species B and C. How would you resolve this situation?

Answer 1

The species A and B are analogous species while the species B and C are homologous species. Analogous species are the species with similar morphology but different anatomy or the line of evolution. Homologous species are species having similar anatomy but different morphological features due to similar line of evolution.

Although morphologically similar, B and C share different lines of evolution but A and B share same line of evolution so they are homologous species even when they are morphologically different.