Organism a, organism b, and organism c are all classified within the phylum chordata. organism a and organism b can be further classified into class mammalia. organism c, on the other hand, can be further classified into class aves.

which of the following is most likely true about the organisms discussed in the paragraph above?
a.
organism a, organism b, and organism c all have the exact same structural and behavioral characteristics.
b.
organism a, organism b, and organism c do not share any structural characteristics with one another.
c.
organism b and organism c share more behavioral characteristics with one another than they do with organism a.
d.
organism a and organism b share more structural characteristics with one another than they do with organism c.

D. Organism A and Organism B share more structural characteristics with one another than they do with Organism C.

Explanation:

Despite all three organisms being chordates, thus animals that have spines and bone structure, further into the phylogenetic tree they have evolved much differently, with A and B being mammals, while C being a type of bird.

Organisms A and B will have much more things in common, especially when it comes to the basic bone structure, and certain traits that define them as mammals, even if we are talking about a whale and a bat. Organism C on the other hand, will have much different structural features, used for different things, or even for the same ones but developed in a different manner.

genetic variation can be caused by mutation (which can create entirely new alleles in a population), random mating, random fertilization, and recombination between homologous chromosomes during meiosis (which reshuffles alleles within an organism's offspring).