Evidence of Evolution

Evidence for Evolution

by

Natural Selection

Multiple Choice

Who created the theory of evolution?

• Charles Darwin

• Charles Derwin

• Charlie Darwin

• Chris Darwin

Multiple Choice

What does evolution mean?

• To change something

• To change and adapt over time

• To lose some original features

• To improve ssomething over time

Multiple Choice

A group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.

• species

• population

• mutation

• group

Multiple Choice

What is population?

• The number of organisms who live in a particular area.

• The number of babies that born in a particular area.

• The number of organisms that die in a particular area.

• The amount of immigration that occurs in a particular area.

Evidence supporting evolution
▪ Fossil record

◆ shows change over time

▪ Anatomical record

◆ comparing body structures

▪ homology & vestigial structures
▪ embryology & development

▪ Molecular record

◆ comparing protein & DNA

sequences

▪ Artificial selection

◆ human caused evolution

1. Fossil record

▪ Layers of rock contain fossils

◆ new layers cover older ones (creates a

record over time)

◆ fossils show a series of organisms have

lived on Earth over a long period of time.

Regents Biology

Fossils tell a story…

the Earth is old

Life is old

Life on Earth has changed

Multiple Choice

Which layer contains the oldest fossil?

• Layer 1

• Layer 2

• Layer 3

• Layer 4

Fossil of Archaeopteryx
▪ lived about 150 mya
▪ links reptiles & birds

Evolution of birds

Today’s organisms descended
from ancestral species
(“common ancestor”)

Regents Biology

Multiple Choice

Common ancestry relates to evolution because

• evolution only happens when there are common ancestors.
• Common ancestors make evolution happen more quickly.
• evolution can never take place with common ancestors.
• the more two organisms have in common, the more recent is their common ancestor during their evolution.

Land Mammal

?

?

?

Where are the

intermediate

fossils?

Ocean Mammal

Someone’s idea of a joke!

But the joke’s on them!!

Complete series

of transitional

fossils

We found the fossil — no joke!

Regents Biology

Evolution from sea to land
▪ 2006 fossil discovery of early tetrapod

◆ 4 limbs

▪ Missing link from sea to land animals

2. Anatomical record

Animals with different
structures on the surface

But when you look under
the skin…

It tells an evolutionary story
of common ancestors

Regents Biology

Compare the bones

▪ The same bones under the skin

◆ limbs that perform different functions

are built from the same bones

How could

these

very different

animals
have the

same bones?

Homologous structures
▪ Structures that come from the same origin

▪ homo- = same
▪ -logous = information

▪ Forelimbs of human, cats, whales, & bats

◆ same structure

▪ on the inside

◆ same development in embryo

◆ different functions

▪ on the outside

◆ evidence of common ancestor

Multiple Choice

Humans, birds, whales, and lizards all have similar arm bones. What is the reason for this?

• The function of these bones is the same in all animals

• They live in similar environments

• They have a common ancestor

• All organisms resemble humans

Multiple Choice

The structures shown are_________

• homologous
• heterologous
• analogous
• vestigial

Regents Biology

But don’t be fooled by these…

▪ Analogous structures

◆ look similar

▪ on the outside

◆ same function

◆ different structure & development

▪ on the inside

◆ different origin

◆ no evolutionary relationship

Solving a similar problem with a similar solution

How is a

bird

like a bug?

Multiple Choice

Bird wings and butterfly wings are an example of

• Homologous structure

• Analogous structure

• Mimicry

• Camoflague

Regents Biology

Analogous structures

▪ Dolphins: aquatic mammal
▪ Fish: aquatic vertebrate

◆ both adapted to

life in the sea

◆ not closely related

Watch the

tail!

Multiple Choice

Shark fins and dolphin fins are examples of analogous structures.

• True

• False

Regents Biology

Convergent evolution

▪ 3 groups with wings

◆ Does this mean they have a

recent common ancestor?

Flight evolved 3
separate times—
evolving similar
solutions to similar
“problems”

They just
came up
with the

same

answer!

Multiple Choice

The three species pictured do not share a common ancestor, yet have evolved to have a similar anatomy and life style. This is an example of ?

• Homologous Structures

• Divergent Evolution

• Vestigial Organs

• Convergent Evolution

Regents Biology

Convergent evolution led to mimicry

▪ Why do these pairs look so similar?

Monarch male

poisonous

Viceroy male

edible

fly

bee

moth

bee

Which is the fly vs. the bee?Which is the moth vs. the bee?

Multiple Choice

Mimicry means:

• A tree that has pink flowers in the spring

• When one living thing looks like a different kind of living thing

• A way an animal blends in with its environment

Multiple Choice

Camouflage means:

• A special dessert

• When an animal looks like another animal

• A way an animal can look like its surroundings

Regents Biology

Vestigial organs

▪ Structures that are reduced in size and

have lost all or most of their original
function.

Why would whales have
pelvis & leg bones if they
were always sea creatures?

Because

they

used to
walk on

land!

Regents Biology

Vestigial organs

▪ Structures on modern animals that have

no function

◆ remains of structures that were functional

in ancestors

◆ evidence of change over time

▪ some snakes & whales have pelvis bones &

leg bones of walking ancestors

▪ eyes on blind

cave fish

▪ human tail bone &

appendix

Multiple Choice

• Homologous

• Vestigial

• Analogous

Regents Biology

3. Comparative embryology

▪ Animals with backbones develop similarly

▪ During development, all vertebrates have a tail and paired
pharyngeal pouches.

-- In fish and amphibian larvae, the pouches become gills.
-- In humans, the pouches becomes the middle ear; tonsils, & glands

all vertebrate embryos have a “gill
pouch” at one stage of development

Multiple Choice

An organism in its early stage of development.

• an infant

• a calf

• a cell

• an embryo

Regents Biology

4. Molecular record

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Comparing DNA & protein structure

◆ everyone uses the same genetic code!

▪ DNA sequences show how closely related 2

organisms are to each other.

▪ compare common genes
▪ compare common proteins

number of amino acids
different from human
hemoglobin

Multiple Choice

The closest evolutionary relationship most likely exists between the....

• human and gorilla

• horse and zebra

• human and chimpanzee

• chimpanzee and gorilla

Regents Biology

Building “family” trees

Closely related species are branches on the tree —
coming from a common ancestor

Regents Biology

5. Biogeography

▪ the study of the geographical distribution of living things
▪ The distribution of fossils show that the continents were

once joined together.

▪ Animals living in the same area evolve to have similar

traits.

Regents Biology

Multiple Choice

What is is the study of how and why plants and animals live where they do?

• Evolution

• Adaptive Radiation

• Biogeography

• Biogeology

Regents Biology

▪ How do we know natural selection can

change a population?

◆ we can recreate a similar process

◆ “evolution by human selection”

5. Artificial selection

“descendants” of wild mustard

Regents Biology

Selective Breeding

Humans create the
change over time
by

“descendants” of the wolf

Regents Biology

Artificial Selection

…and the
examples
keep coming!

I liked
breeding
pigeons!

Multiple Choice

A dog owner prefers very pointy noses for his dogs. So, he has dogs with the most pointed noses mate in hopes of getting puppies with very pointy noses. This process is called____________

• mutation

• gene therapy

• natural selection

• selective breeding

Multiple Choice

Which statement is true comparing natural selection and artificial selection?

• In natural selection, traits benefit humans and in artificial selection, the traits benefit the species

• In natural selection, traits benefit the species and in artificial selection, the traits benefit humans

• In natural and artificial selection, the process takes hundreds of years to occur

• In natural and artificial selection, nature determines what traits will be passed down to offspring.