Several dozen different proteins comprise the prokaryotic flagellum and its attachment to the prokaryotic cell, producing a highly complex structure. Certain proteins of the complex motor that drives bacterial flagella are modified versions of proteins that had previously belonged to plasma membrane pumps. This evidence best supports which of the following claims?
A) Natural selection produces organs that will be needed in future environments.
B) The motors of bacterial flagella must have originated in other organisms.
C) Natural selection can favor new structures that have been coupled together from parts of other structures.
D) Bacteria that possess flagella must have lost the ability to pump certain chemicals across their plasma membranes.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The evidence that certain proteins in the complex motor of bacterial flagella are modified versions of proteins from plasma membrane pumps supports the idea that natural selection can favor the development of new structures through the modification and repurposing of parts of other structures.

Several Dozen Different Proteins Comprise the Prokaryotic Flagellum and Its