What would be an appropriate evolutionary explanation of the fact that the ordering of some homeotic genes (e.g., Hox genes) on vertebrate chromosomes parallels the ordering of homeotic genes on fruit fly chromosomes? Group of answer choices

The correct answer is "The similar ordering of homeotic genes in animals, both vertebrate and insect, is due to ancient homology".

Explanation:

The missing options of this question are

a. Homeotic genes show that insects and vertebrates are closer relatives than the traditional classification system indicates.

b. The similar ordering of homeotic genes in animals, both vertebrate and insect, is due to ancient homology.

c. The similarity is a coincidence, not documented in other invertebrates and largely a result of random mutations.

d. Homeotic genes of different animal lineages might be ordered in a similar fashion, yet their sequences are completely different.

The correct answer is option b. "The similar ordering of homeotic genes in animals, both vertebrate and insect, is due to ancient homology".

Ancient homology, is a concept proposed by Charles Darwin that explains that species have homologous structures because they share a common ancestor. This explains as well why the ordering of some homeotic genes on vertebrate chromosomes parallels the ordering of homeotic genes on fruit fly chromosomes. Even though vertebrates are not as evolutionary close to fruit fly as other species, they share an ancient common ancestor as well. This same phenomena explains other homologies seeing in species, such as the adaptive mimetic diversity across butterflies.