Insect wings may have begun to evolve as lateral extensions of the body that were used as heat dissipaters for thermoregulation. when they had become sufficiently large, these extensions became useful for gliding through the air. additional selection refined them as flight-producing wings. if this hypothesis is correct, modern insect wings would be an example of a) mutations b) an exaptation c) the loss of hox genes in the evolution of new form d) an adaptive radiation

The correct answer is option b, that is, an exaptation.

Explanation:

The co-option or the associated term exaptation illustrates a shift in the activity of a trait at the time of evolution. For example, a trait can evolve as it performed one specific activity, however, afterwards, it may start to perform another function. It is common in both behavior and anatomy.  

A classic illustration of exaptation is feathers of birds, at the start they were evolved for monitoring temperature, however, afterwards they were amended for flight. Thus, if the given hypothesis is accurate than the modern wings of insects are an example of exaptation.  

Adaptive radiation refers to the diversification of an array of organisms to hold a distinct ecological niche. The origination of mutation takes place because of the errors in the replication of DNA. The hox genes in the insects assist them to specify that what appendages will get produced in a segment.  

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