Question

Differentiate between the following:

Analogous and Vestigial organs

Answer 1

Basis of Difference	Analogous organs	Vestigial organs
Meaning	Organs with similar functions but different structures and origins	Reduced organs with little or no original function in the present organism
Present function	Usually perform a similar function	Function is reduced or altered
Evolutionary significance	Often indicate convergent evolution	Retain evidence of ancestral structures
Relationship of origin	Different origins	Inherited from ancestors in which the structure was more functional
Example	Wings of a bird and an insect	Human coccyx or vermiform appendix