Evidence for Evolution Review

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

• human appendix

• whale pelvis

• tail bone

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In 1861 paleontologists announced that they had found a fossil with feathers, now known as, Archaeopteryx, which lived approximately 150 million years ago. When comparing Archaeopteryx to other small dinosaurs and modern-day birds, the paleontologists learned that Archaeopteryx had more in common with dinosaurs. The Archaeopteryx were small and had broad wings which likely gave them the ability to fly or glide. How can the Archaeopteryx fossils be used to support the theory of evolution?

• They can demonstrate that animals from long ago are still alive today.

• They show how organisms today share characteristics with fossilized species.

• They give evidence to support the idea that organisms inherit the best traits from their

  parents.

• They indicate that evolution is a theory because scientists do not completely understand

  the fossil record.

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Pictured above is Astyanax mexicanus, a type of freshwater fish found in caves and other underground habitats across Mexico and the southern part of the United States. Both the surface and cavefish belong to the same species, but unlike the surface fish, the cavefish has no eyes. How can the survival of the cavefish population be explained?

• Cavefish population has survived in caves without eyes because it is an adaptation to the

  environment.

• A cavefish produced offspring after having lost its eyes in an injury and changed the

  population overtime.

• The surface was too bright and predators were catching them, so they adapted to be

  transparent in color.

• Cavefish were too far away from sunlight, causing problems in their development and

  changing their appearance.

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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

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What type of evidence is shown with the diagram above?

• Molecular

• Anatomical

• Embryological

• Fossil

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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

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What best describes the hind leg bones seen in the whale?

• The bones are analogous structures to the fins of living fish.

• The bones are vestigial structures that had a function in an ancestor.

• The bones are homologous structures to the wings of butterflies.

• The bones are fossil structures from an extinct ancestor.

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The similarities of organisms in which two areas numbered in the picture provide the best evidence for common ancestry?

• and 2

• 3 and 4

• 5 and 6

• 7 and 8

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The picture shows the members of the Camelidae family. The physical features and the geographical origin of these animals provide evidence that - 

• they live in the same type of environment.

• have slowly evolved to become herbivores.

• have a common ancestor.

• exchanged DNA in the past.

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What conclusion can you draw from the fact that many modern whale species have vestigial pelvic and leg bones?

• The ancestors of whales may have been land mammals

• Whales could walk if they wanted to

• Whales are preparing to evolve into land animals

• Someday whales will be able to walk and will have legs

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