Question

The wings of a honey bee and the wings of a pigeon are an example of
A. Homologous organs
B. Vestigial organ
C. Analogous organ
D. Essential organ

Answer 1

Hint: Pigeon belong to phylum Chordata and honeybee belongs to Arthropoda. The wings of both the pigeon and honeybee are meant for flight.

Complete Answer:
- Wings of honey bee: Honey bee has 2 sets of thin membranous wings which consists of rows of hooks and grooves.
- Wings of pigeon: It consists of a central vein which has three limb bones called the humerus, ulna and radius. It resembles the fore limb of horses in structure.
- Both the wings are used for flight i.e. the function is similar but they differ in structure. So they are called the analogous organs.

1. Homologous organs- The organs which are similar in structure but differ in function. Example wings of birds and forelimbs of horses.
2. Vestigial organ- The useless body part is the vestigial organ. It had a particular function in our ancestors. Example- Appendix in human.
3. Essential organ- The body organ which is essential for life is called the essential organs. Example brain, heart.

Thus the correct answer is (C).

Note: The analogous organ is the organs which are functionally similar but they differ in the structure. These species are unrelated to each other and do not have the same evolutionary lines. Plants also show analogy. Example sweet potato and potato both are meant for food storage but differ in storage organ or structure.