How Do Fossils Provide Evidence That Evolution Has Happened on Earth?

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

• Fossils show that some species have gone extinct

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

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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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Anthropologists recently discovered skull fragments from a previously unknown primate. The mandible (jaw bone) of the skull is shown below along with mandibles of other known primates. Why would scientists use the fossil records to help them determine the species of the unknown primate?

• To compare the evolution of its relatives.

• To see if the fossil has the same mass as a jaw of other primates.

• To determine if the fossil has the same number of teeth as a modern primate.

• To identify evolutionary relationships between the unknown and known fossils.

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If modern organisms have a lot of homologous structures, what inference might paleontologists make about those organisms?

• They are reptiles

• The organisms have a common ancestor

• One organism evolved from the other.

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Which is not evidence for evolution?

• many animals have homologous structures due to common ancestry

• We can observe changes in life forms by observing the fossil record

• Many animals have vestigial structures from an ancestor

• All of these are evidence for evolution

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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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Which is not evidence for evolution?

• many animals have homologous structures due to common ancestry

• Many animals have vestigial structures from an ancestor

• We can observe changes in life forms by observing the fossil record

• All of these are evidence for evolution

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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

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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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The fossils buried in layers near the surface tend to be younger than fossils in layers of rock well below the surface. This is an example of what type of evidende of evolution?

• Fossil record

• Molecular record

• Artificial selection

• Anatomical record

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