Define vestigial organs. Write names of some vestigial organs in human body and write the names of those animals in whom same organs are functional.
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
The organs present in the body which is non-functional and is incompletely developed are vestigial organs." The examples of vestigial organs - Wisdom teeth, vermiform appendix, ear muscles, coccyx, caecum, nictitating membrane etc. in human are the examples of vestigial organs
Answer:
Vestigial organs are organs, tissues or cells in a body which are no more functional the way they were in their ancestral form of the trait. It is authentication of evolution and hence, were helpful in explaining adaptation.
Such a structure can arise due to gene mutation which causes a change in the proteins. These mutated proteins result in the formation of vestigial structure
EXAMPLES:
Sinuses
Human cheekbones hold the maxillary sinuses. The face consists of pockets of air called sinuses. They are lined by a thin layer of mucosa. It has no significant use but infection can lead to sinusitis.
Appendix
It is one of the most commonly known vestigial organs. This finger-like tube closed at one end arises from the vermiform process. In prime ancestors, the appendix is believed to have brought about the digestion of cellulose. Today, scientists predict that the appendix may play a role in digestion by bacteria.
Coccyx
It forms the last part of the vertebral column, the residue of the lost tail and is often termed as the tailbone. It is observed during human embryogenesis. This formed as the centrepiece of the ‘theory of recapitulation’.
Wisdom Tooth
Forms the third set of molars in our buccal cavity. They may have been significant in the past(chewing rough and raw food) but in modern times, as they are inaccessible and remote, it causes pain and infection.