Evidence of Evolution Notes

Evidence of

Evolution

Fossils

●

Provide historical evidence about the order in
which changes have occurred

●

Fossils found in young layers of rock (ie closer
to the surface) tend to be more similar to
present day organisms; oldest ancestors in
deepest layers

●

Extinction of organisms allow for new
resources to be available and allow for new
mutations to be shown as beneficial or not.

Extinction

The fossil records show many species that no longer exist – these

species are said to be extinct.

There are four main reasons:
1.

Environmental changes are too quick (e.g. destruction of
habitat, ice age, too hot – resulting in lack of food, to few
resources available)

2.

A new predator kills them (e.g. humans hunting them).

3.

A new disease kills them.

4.

They can’t compete with another new species for food

Extinction

Humans are responsible for the

extinction of the Dodos.

1.They were hunted.

2.

Human introduced new
animals which ate their
eggs.

3.

Forests, where they lived,
were destroyed.

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

How do fossils provide evidence that evolution has happened on Earth?

• Fossils show how the sizes of certain animals has changed drastically over millions of years

• Fossils show that some species have gone extinct

• Fossils show how life forms present today are different than those from the past

• Different sedimentary rock layers provide evidence for how the environment has changed over time

1.Remnants of structures that were
once useful, but do not serve a
purpose now.

2.

Help in identifying relationships
between organisms.

Vestigial Structures

●

Structures are formed and set
up the same way.

●

Homologous structures may
not necessarily perform the
same function but they share
a common ancestral origin
due to how they develop.

Homologous
Structures

●

Structures of different
species having similar
function but not from
the same origin.

●

Structures are not
formed the same way,
but they have a similar
appearance/function.

Analogous
Structures

Review of Homologous and Analogous Structures

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

The appendix has no apparent function in humans today, but scientists think it used to help human ancestors digest certain foods. The appendix could be considered a _____________.

• Homologous structure

• Vestigial structure

• Analogous structure

• Adaptive 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

Multiple Choice

Two body structures, found in unrelated species, have different structures but serve similar functions in each species. This describes___________.

• Homologous structures

• Analogous structures

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 Select

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

• human appendix

• whale pelvis

• tail bone

Multiple Choice

Similarities in bone arrangements, like those in the picture, support the hypothesis that...

• these organisms are not well adapted

• these organisms share a common ancestor

• these organisms all share the same DNA sequences

• these organisms are members of the same species

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an example of a vestigial structure?

• the wings of a red-tailed hawk

• the hind limbs of a house cat

• the fins of sharks

• the tailbone of a human

Multiple Choice

What is this an example of?

• Homologous structure

• Analogous structure

• Vestigial organs

• Functional adaption

1.

Embryos from different vertebrates are very similar
during early stages of development.

2.

The longer they are similar during development the
more closely related they are.

Embryonic
Structure

Multiple Choice

In stage one (top row) of these embryos, most of the embryos________

• look very similar.

• have very different features.

• show different stages of development.

• have only a tail if they are non-human.

Multiple Choice

In the the third embryonic stage (bottom row), mammal embryos _____

• have more characteristics in common with each other than with reptiles or birds.

• are still hard to tell from reptiles and birds.

• have the same features as fish, reptiles, and birds.

• do not have tails.

●All organisms share the same
genetic material.

●The more alike two organisms are,
the more alike their DNA base
sequence, the more amino
acids/proteins they have in
common (genetic sequence).

DNA

What does this cladogram diagram tell us?

Mutations

These are changes, through everyday

wear and tear, to the DNA.

Most mutations have no effect.

Sometimes it can cause a new

characteristic.

Mutations

Very occasionally it can give an

organism a better chance of
survival – longer fur, longer
legs

Overtime, time these useful

mutation can help a species
adapt to an environment –
and eventually lead to the
evolution of a completely
new species.

Multiple Choice

According to this data, the unknown bacterial species is most closely related to: 

• Species I

• Species II

• Species III

• Species IV

Multiple Choice

If two organisms have similar traits of DNA they are probably

• share a common ancestor

• share a common environment

• share a common population

• speciation

Multiple Choice

Which species’ DNA is most similar to the DNA of the toothed whale? 

• Hippopotamus 

• Baleen Whale

• Grazing Mammals

• Camels

Multiple Choice

What number is the common ancestor of C and D

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Multiple Choice

Organisms that have the most DNA sequences in common

• have the same number of legs

• Are the least related

• are randomly distributed

• Are the most related

Match

Match the following

• Analogous Structure

• Homologous Structure

• Comparative Embryology

• Biochemical Evidence

• Vestigial Structures

Same function different structure

Same structure different function

Comparing embryological development of different species

Comparing DNA and amino acid sequences of different species

Structures in the body of an organism that no longer work.

• Same function different structure

• Same structure different function

• Comparing embryological development of different species

• Comparing DNA and amino acid sequences of different species

• Structures in the body of an organism that no longer work.

Multiple Choice

Shark fins and dolphin fins are examples of analogous structures.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

The picture shows a/an ___________

• homologous structure

• vestigial structure

Multiple Choice

An anatomical feature that no longer seams to have a purpose in the current form of an organism

• Homologous structure

• Analogous structure

• Vestigial structure

• None of the above

Multiple Choice

Two organisms that are closely related would have

• very similar DNA sequence

• exactly the same DNA sequences

• no proteins in common

• completely different DNA sequence

Multiple Choice

According to this cladogram, birds are LEAST related to -

• Amphibians

• Sharks

• Ray Finned Fish

• Crocodiles

Multiple Choice

The fossil record help scientists

• better understand the kinds of organisms that lived in the past

• better understand how the environment has changed over time

• better understand how organisms have evolved over time

• all of the above

Multiple Choice

The cave fish and minnow are related to each other but the cave fish is blind and only has the remnants of an eye. What type of structure is this?

• vestigial

• analogous

Multiple Choice

1. Which scientist formulated the theory of evolution through natural selection?

• Charles Darwin

• Thomas Malthus

• James Hutton

• Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

Multiple Choice

Relative dating finds how old things are

• in exact age

• compared to something else

• by finding the year marked on the bones

Multiple Choice

Scientists can explore whether two different animal species have evolved from a common ancestor, using evidence from all of the sources below except

• Comparing their strands of DNA

• Comparison of the animals' bone structure

• Comparison of the experiences of each organism

• Studying their embryos during development