Distinguish between missing link and connecting link.?

Question

Answer

Missing link are extinct now and had the characters of two different groups of animals . connecting links are alive having characters of two different groups.

Answer

The living animals which possess characters of two different groups of animals are known as connecting links. Such animals establish continuity in the series by proving that one group has evolved from the other. Lung fish (e.g., Protopterus) is a connecting link between fish and amphibians. On the other hand, missing links are those extinct organisms which had the characters of two different groups of animals. They help in establishing the path of evolution. Archaeopteryx lithographica that lived in the Jurassic period shares the features of both reptiles and birds.

Answer

Missing Link:

The term 'missing link' is commonly used in the context of evolution to refer to a hypothetical organism that is believed to be the intermediate form between two different species. It represents a transitional species that would fill the gap in the fossil record, providing evidence for the evolutionary relationship between two groups of organisms. The concept of missing links arises due to the incompleteness of the fossil record, as not all organisms that ever existed have left behind fossilized remains.

Connecting Link:

The term 'connecting link' is also used in the context of evolution to describe an organism that exhibits characteristics of both ancestral and descendant groups, thereby acting as a bridge between them. Unlike a missing link, a connecting link is based on actual organisms that have been identified through fossil evidence.

Comparison:

The key difference between a missing link and a connecting link lies in the evidence available to support their existence. While a missing link is hypothetical and based on the assumption that there should be an intermediate form, a connecting link is based on actual fossils that have been discovered and studied.

Missing Link:
- Hypothetical organism
- Intermediate form between two species
- Based on the assumption of an intermediate form
- Fills the gap in the fossil record
- Provides evidence for evolutionary relationship

Connecting Link:
- Actual organism
- Exhibits characteristics of both ancestral and descendant groups
- Identified through fossil evidence
- Acts as a bridge between two groups
- Supported by tangible fossils

Conclusion:

In summary, a missing link refers to a hypothetical organism that is believed to fill the gap in the fossil record, providing evidence for the evolutionary relationship between two species. On the other hand, a connecting link is based on actual fossils and represents an organism that exhibits characteristics of both ancestral and descendant groups. While a missing link is speculative, a connecting link is supported by tangible evidence. Both concepts play a crucial role in understanding the evolutionary process and the relationships between different organisms.

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