[Campbell Biology P.472] Based on the text, what is the most significant conclusion drawn fr... | Practice Question
Based on the text, what is the most significant conclusion drawn from the studies involving the Pax-6 gene across different species?
A: The Pax-6 gene is unique to vertebrates and is not found in invertebrates like fruit flies.
B: The expression of Pax-6 always results in the formation of an identical eye structure, regardless of the species.
C: The Pax-6 gene demonstrates that widely divergent species share ancient common ancestry and conserved gene expression mechanisms.
D: Transferring the Pax-6 gene between species is impossible due to incompatible genetic programs.
Explanation
The text highlights that the Pax-6 gene, despite leading to different eye structures, can substitute across species and trigger lens development, demonstrating shared ancient evolutionary roots and conserved gene expression mechanisms among all living organisms.