hemoglobinization
Hemoglobinization is a biological process that involves the conversion of a non-hemoglobin protein into a hemoglobin-like protein. This process is often observed in certain organisms, particularly in insects and some other invertebrates, where non-hemoglobin proteins are transformed into functional hemoglobin proteins. The primary function of hemoglobin is to transport oxygen in the blood, and hemoglobinization allows these organisms to perform this crucial role without having a true hemoglobin gene.
The process of hemoglobinization typically occurs through gene duplication and subsequent mutation. A non-hemoglobin protein gene
Hemoglobinization is an example of convergent evolution, where similar adaptations arise independently in different lineages. This