Evidence of Evolution Notes

Evidence of Evolution

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Fossil Record

• The collection of fossils and their placement in order  

• Documents the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life throughout the Earth’s life history

• Not all types of organisms in the past have left fossils that can be retrieved because of the necessary conditions for fossils

Multiple Choice

Which of the following can be learned by using the fossil record?

• When organisms changed or evolved

• when organisms became extinct

• when organisms appeared on Earth

• All the above

Multiple Choice

Fossils are excellent places to look for evidence of evolution because fossils are

• remains of ancient life

• remains of recent life

• constantly changing

• quickly disapearing

How do scientists determine the age of a fossil?

• When geologists date rocks, they are determining how long ago they formed

• There are two ways to do this: Relative Dating and Absolute Dating

Multiple Choice

Relative dating finds how old things are

• in exact age

• compared to something else

• by finding the year marked on the bones

Law of Superposition

• States that in undisturbed rocks layers, the youngest layer is on top and the oldest on bottom

• Many thousands of layers of sedimentary rock provide evidence for the long history of the earth and for the history of changing life forms (fossils)

• More recently deposited rock layers are more likely to contain fossils resembling existing species

Multiple Choice

What are the oldest fossils and why?

• B, C- because they are closest to the top

• A, B- because they are closest to the bottom

• They are all the same age- because they are all found on layer 2

• A, B- because they are found closest to the top

Multiple Choice

Older fossils should be__________________ in the rock layers because sediment piles up on the surface

• lower

• higher

• at the same place as younger fossils

Multiple Choice

Which rock layer formed first?

• W

• X

• Y

• Z

Multiple Choice

How does absolute age differ from relative age?

• only absolute dating indicates which rock is older than another

• only absolute dating finds the age in years

• only relative dating finds the age in years

Multiple Choice

Which method of dating fossils would be the most accurate?

• Absolute dating

• Relative dating

What is comparative anatomy?

• Comparing the parts of organisms for similarities in structure and function to see if the organisms came from a common ancestor.

• Can be a homologous structure

• Can be an analogous structure

Homologous Structures

• A body part found in two different ancestors that provides evidence of common ancestor

• Can have different Functions

Multiple Choice

What term describes part of organisms, that have a similar structure but a different function?

• homologous structure

• homologous chromosome

• vestigial structure

• analogous structure

Multiple Choice

Which would be an example of a homologous structure?

• a bird wing and a bat wing

• a cat arm and a whale fin

• a dolphin fin and whale fin

• a bird wing and a butterfly wing

Multiple Choice

Homologous structures are defined as the same structure but different functions. In vertebrates, the presence of homologous structures suggest?

• all vertebrates have a common ancestor

• all vertebrates developed at the same rate

• all vertebrates developed internally

Analogous Structures

A structure that is found in two species that have similar function but has evolved differently.

Multiple Choice

Which would NOT be an example of an analogous structure?

• a bird wing and a bat wing

• a cat arm and a whale fin

• a dolphin fin and whale fin

• a bird wing and a butterfly wing

Multiple Choice

Which is an example of an analogous structure?

• Leg of a dog and a leg of a horse

• paw of a cat and scales of a fish

• snake eggs and lizard eggs

• bat wings and the tongue of a frog

Vestigial Structures

• Structures that can no longer be used by an organism

• Fully functioning in an ancestor

Multiple Select

Which are examples of vestigial structures? Select all that apply to receive credit!

• human appendix

• whale pelvis

• tail bone

Embryology

Researching embryos have led to the observation that many organisms start out very similar in their early development.

Multiple Choice

According to the table, which organism is more closely related to humans?

• Bullfrog

• Chimpanzee

• Rabbit

• Yeast

Multiple Choice

According to the timeline, would Darwin have been able to use molecular biology (DNA) as evidence to support his theory of evolution?

• yes

• no

Extinction

• Most species that have lived on the earth are now extinct

• Occurs when the environment changes and the organisms of that species do not have the traits needed to survive and reproduce in the changed environment

• Some organisms from the past are similar to organisms today, but some are quite different

Multiple Choice

Which of these describes a species that has become extinct?

• fewer members of the species are dying than being born

• very few members of a species are alive

• more members of the species are dying than being born

• all members of a species have died

Multiple Choice

When a plant or animal becomes extinct, it is gone _______.

• forever

• until next week

• until Dr. Hammond clones them

• to sleep

Multiple Choice

Which is LEAST LIKELY to push a species toward extinction?

• Cutting down entire forest

• Putting animals in a zoo

• Polluting mountain streams

• Introducing new species to an ecosystem with no known natural predator