Analogy & Homology Blog Post Assignment

 

1.  Two different species that possess the homologous trait are different kinds of foxes like an arctic fox and a snow fox. Both having larger ears which is a homologous trait that is inherited from their common ancestral lineage. While an arctic snow fox resides to a different climate of icy cold tempature. The point to their ears is that they have evolved to be more small in order to decrease heat loss in their colder tempature. The adaption quite simply is a result of selective pressures of environment on an inherited trait of large ears. Meanwhile a Desert Fox lives to hot desert climates. Their ears in turn being more evolved to become large despite what their body size appears to be since they have come to be this way due to them being needed to dissipate heat in order to keep them cool as an evolutionary response to their environment on the same inherited trait of large ears. So, despite the same inherited trait of large ears they are both subject to different environments which contributes to selective pressures of their respective environments that have led to a divergent evolution of this trait in both species which highlights how homologous traits modify under different environments.
2.  The Snow fox, living in the cold, has smaller more compact ears. The smaller size being an evolutionary adaption that happened to occur on a physical level that reduces exposure to cold air that is unavoidable in its environment that reduces likeliness of heat escaping from the animal. So, the smaller ears is more or less a survival technique for the environment.
3.  The common ancestor of the Snow fox and the Desert fox is the simple primitive form of a fox which when deduced can be chalked to phylogenetic analyses. The possessed trait of the ears can be based to a principle of presence of ears in all extant fox species that can indicate a common ancestor that also had a loose similarity of ears.
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1.  The two different species from earlier of the Desert fox and the Arctic fox for example have both come to have both their coats thick however they look different because they both serve different functions. While the Desert fox's coats purpose is to reflect sunlight which allows it to stay cool in the hot desert tempature. The Arctic Fox's coat provides insulation for it against the extreme cold conditions it faces. The adaptions both have have evolved independently of each other. While the two don't share a more recent ancestor that had a thick fur coat for tempature regulation. The two instead have developed the trait separately as a fight or flight response to their respected environments. This being an example of an analogous trait because the fur coat share similarity in function of tempature regulation however, have evolved on a more independent level because of the environment differences
2.  Desert foxes live in more hot desert native climates while Arctic Foxes live in more frigid/cold environments. While both have evolved this similar traits of the ability to regulate their body temperatures. The intense heat of the desert the Desert fox has its evolved large ears with the function of them serving as effective heat dissipators. The ears help radiate the excess heat and maintain a cooler body tempature. Similar to this the freezing cold of the Arctic cold climate has made the Arctic Fox has developed a thick, insulating fur coat. The dense fur providing insulation which traps body heat and protects the fox from the intense cold. So while it is different climates both face, they have converged a similar like solution to cope with their respected drastic temperatures they have to face. Their adaptations allow them to regulate their body temperatures and survive their different environments.
3.  Both the foxes live in extremes of their respected tempatures so both their coats help them in the purpose of tempature regulation. The arctic foxes has a thick coat which helps it blend to the snowy cold region and keeping them warm in its respected environment. Meanwhile the Desert Fox has a more sandy thin coat which helps it tempature regulate and match its respected environment of the desert making it blend with its dusty environment and rocky dunes also making it harder for predators to spot. It is also thinner in comparison which as well helps it tempature regulate. Even though their fur colors and texture are different, both foxes have independently evolved coat adaptations to give them respected survival advantages in their specific habitats. So, while the Arctic Fox and Desert Fox share a common ancestor, their coat adaptations are not due to a shared genetic lineage. Instead they are analogous traits that have evolved separately to help them survive in their distinct environments.
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