Comparative anatomy - wikipedia Comparative anatomy Comparative anatomy studies similarities and differences in organisms. The image shows homologous bones in the upper limb of various vertebrates. Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny ( the evolution of species ). The science began in the classical era, continuing in Early Modern times with work by Pierre Belon who noted the similarities of the skeletons of birds and humans. Comparative anatomy has provided evidence of common descent, and has assisted in the classification of animals. Contents 1 History 2 Concepts 3 Uses 4 See also 5 References 6 Bibliography 7 External links History Skeletons of humans and birds compared by Pierre Belon, 1555. The first specifically anatomical investigation separate from a surgical or medical procedure is associated by early commentators with Alcmaeon of Croton. Pierre Belon, a French naturalist born in 1517, conducted research and held discussions on dolphin embryos as well as the comparisons between the skeletons of birds to the skeletons of humans. His research led to modern comparative anatomy. Andreas Vesalius Around the same time, Andreas Vesalius was also making some strides of his own. A young anatomist of Flemish descent made famous by a penchant for amazing charts, he was systematically investigating and correcting the anatomical knowledge of the Greek physician Galen. He noticed that many of Galen 's observations were not even based on actual humans. Instead, they were based on animals such as oxen. Up until that point, Galen and his teachings had been the authority on human anatomy. The irony is that Galen himself had emphasized the fact that one should make one 's own observations instead of using those of another, but this advice was lost during the numerous translations of his work. As Vesalius began to uncover these mistakes, other physicians of the time began to trust their own observations more than those of Galen. An interesting observation made by some of these physicians was the presence of homologous structures in a wide variety of animals which included humans. These observations were later used by Darwin as he formed his theory of Natural Selection. A drawing by Edward Tyson Edward Tyson is regarded as the founder of modern comparative anatomy. He is credited with determining that whales and dolphins are, in fact, mammals. Also, he concluded that chimpanzees are more similar to humans than to monkeys because of their arms. Marco Aurelio Severino also compared various animals, including birds, in his Zootomia democritaea, one of the first works of comparative anatomy. In the 18th and 19th century, great anatomists like George Cuvier, Richard Owen and Thomas Henry Huxley revolutionized our understanding of the basic build and systematics of vertebrates, laying the foundation for Charles Darwin 's work on evolution. An example of a 20th - century comparative anatomist is Victor Negus, who worked on the structure and evolution of the larynx. Until the advent of genetic techniques like DNA sequencing, comparative anatomy together with embryology were the primary tools for understanding phylogeny, as exemplified by the work of Alfred Romer. Concepts Two major concepts of comparative anatomy are : Homologous structures - structures ( body parts / anatomy ) which are similar in different species because the species have common descent and have evolved, usually divergently, from a shared ancestor. They may or may not perform the same function. An example is the forelimb structure shared by cats and whales. Analogous structures - structures similar in different organisms because, in convergent evolution, they evolved in a similar environment, rather than were inherited from a recent common ancestor. They usually serve the same or similar purposes. An example is the streamlined torpedo body shape of porpoises and sharks. So even though they evolved from different ancestors, porpoises and sharks developed analogous structures as a result of their evolution in the same aquatic environment. This is known as a homoplasy. Uses Further information : Evidence of common descent Comparative anatomy has long served as evidence for evolution, now joined in that role by comparative genomics ; it indicates that organisms share a common ancestor. It also assists scientists in classifying organisms based on similar characteristics of their anatomical structures. A common example of comparative anatomy is the similar bone structures in forelimbs of cats, whales, bats, and humans. All of these appendages consist of the same basic parts ; yet, they serve completely different functions. The skeletal parts which form a structure used for swimming, such as a fin, would not be ideal to form a wing, which is better - suited for flight. One explanation for the forelimbs ' similar composition is descent with modification. Through random mutations and natural selection, each organism 's anatomical structures gradually adapted to suit their respective habitats. The rules for development of special characteristics which differ significantly from general homology were listed by Karl Ernst von Baer as the laws now named after him. See also Cladistics Evolutionary developmental biology Phylogenetics Transcendental anatomy Outline of biology # Anatomy References Jump up ^ Gaucher, Eric A. ; Kratzer, James T. ; Randall, Ryan N. ( 2010 ). `` Deep Phylogeny -- How a Tree Can Help Characterize Early Life on Earth ''. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology. 2 ( 1 ) : a002238. doi : 10.1101 / cshperspect. a002238. PMC 2827910. PMID 20182607. Jump up ^ Blits, K.C. ( 1999 ), Aristotle : Form, function, and comparative anatomy. Anat. Rec., 257 : 58 -- 63. doi : 10.1002 / ( SICI ) 1097 - 0185 ( 19990415 ) 257 : 2 < 58 : : AID - AR6 > 3.0.CO ; 2 - I Jump up ^ Gudger, E.W. ( 1934 ). `` The Five Great Naturalists of the Sixteenth Century : Belon, Rondelet, Salviani, Gesner and Aldrovandi : A Chapter in the History of Ichthyology ''. Isis. 22 ( 1 ) : 21 -- 40. doi : 10.1086 / 346870. Jump up ^ Caldwell, Roy ( 2006 ). `` Comparative Anatomy : Andreas Vesalius ''. University of California Museum of Paleontology. Retrieved 2011 - 02 - 17. Jump up ^ Kardong, Kenneth V. ( 2015 ). Vertebrates : Comparative Anatomy, Function, Evolution. New York : McGraw - Hill Education. pp. 15 -- 16. ISBN 978 - 0 - 07 - 802302 - 6. Jump up ^ Hardison, R.C. ( 2003 ). `` Comparative genomics ''. PLoS Biology. 1 ( 2 ) : e58. doi : 10.1371 / journal. pbio. 0000058. PMC 261895. PMID 14624258. Jump up ^ Campbell, Neil A. ; Reece, Jane B. ( February 2002 ). Biology. San Francisco, CA : Benjamin Cummings. pp. 438 -- 439. Bibliography Löw, Péter et al. ( 2016 ). Atlas of Animal Anatomy and Histology. Springer, ( 1 ). Wake, M.H. ( ed. ) ( 1979 ). Hyman 's Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy. 3rd ed. University of Chicago Press, ( 2 ). Zboray, Géza et al. ( 2010 ). Atlas of comparative sectional anatomy of 6 invertebrates and 5 vertebrates. Wien : Springer, 295 p., ( 3 ). External links Anatomy and morphology Fields Gross anatomy Superficial anatomy Neuroanatomy Comparative anatomy Transcendental anatomy Microscopic anatomy histology molecular Bacteria Bacterial cell structure Protists Level of organization Structures Plants Plant anatomy Plant habit Plant life - form / growth - form / physiognomy Plant morphology Fruit anatomy Invertebrates Body plan Decapod anatomy Gastropod anatomy Insect morphology Spider anatomy Mammals Human anatomy Neanderthal anatomy Cat anatomy Dog anatomy Horse anatomy Elephant anatomy Giraffe anatomy Other vertebrates Bird anatomy Fish anatomy Shark anatomy Other topics Allometry Brain morphometry Morphometrics Physiognomy Fins, limbs and wings Fins Aquatic locomotion Cephalopod fin Fish locomotion Fin and flipper locomotion Caudal fin Dorsal fin Fish fin flipper Lobe - finned fish Ray - finned fish Pectoral fins Pelvic fin Limbs Limb development Limb morphology digitigrade plantigrade unguligrade uniped biped facultative biped triped quadruped Arthropod Cephalopod Tetrapod dactyly Digit Wings Flying and gliding animals Bat wing Bird wing keel skeleton feathers Insect wing Pterosaur wing Wingspan Evolution Evolution of fish Evolution of tetrapods Evolution of birds Origin of birds Origin of avian flight Evolution of cetaceans Comparative anatomy Convergent evolution Analogous structures Homologous structures Related Animal locomotion Gait Robot locomotion Samara Terrestrial locomotion Tradeoffs for locomotion in air and water Rotating locomotion Undulatory locomotion NDL : 00563169 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Comparative_anatomy&oldid=841887537 '' Categories : Comparative anatomy Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from February 2018 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Čeština Cymraeg Eesti Español Esperanto فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Interlingua Italiano ქართული Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Tagalog ไทย Українська 中文 18 more Edit links This page was last edited on 18 May 2018, at 18 : 32. 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Question: what is the purpose of comparing bone structures
Answer: evidence for evolution