The potato (Solanum tuberosum) and the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) are both plants that form starchy tubers. A tuber is an underground part of plant used for nutrient storage and is the part of the potato and sweet potato that we eat. Most other plants of both the genus Solanum, which includes the tomato and the eggplant, and the genus Ipomoea, which includes the morning glory, do not form tubers. As described do you think the tubers found in potatoes and sweet potatoes are more likely an example of analogy or homology and why?
Homology, because the tuber phenotype is extremely similar in both plants.
Homology, because potatoes and sweet potatoes likely share a common ancestor.
Analogy, because the tuber is a structure that likely first evolved in the common ancestor of these plants.
Analogy, because the presence of a tuber in these plants likely arose separately in each population.
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