What term refers to corresponding structures on different segments of an insect?

What term refers to corresponding structures on different segments of an insect?

• A. Homology
• B. Serial homology
• C. Parallelism
• D. Convergence

Answer: (B)

Serial homology. Repeated body units along the same organism—like the legs on each thoracic segment of an insect—come from the same developmental blueprint and are a single organism’s own repeated structures. This is different from general homology, which compares similar traits across different species due to common ancestry. Parallelism and convergence describe similar features evolving in separate lineages, not repeated counterparts within one animal.

Serial homology. Repeated body units along the same organism—like the legs on each thoracic segment of an insect—come from the same developmental blueprint and are a single organism’s own repeated structures. This is different from general homology, which compares similar traits across different species due to common ancestry. Parallelism and convergence describe similar features evolving in separate lineages, not repeated counterparts within one animal.