Evidence of Evolution – Flashcards
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Evolution is supported by 6 things
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1. Fossil Record
2. Bio-geography
3. Comparative Anatomy
4. Comparative Embryology
5. Molecular Biology (*Most reliable and most commonly used)
6. Observed Evolutionary Change
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Fossil Record
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- The fossil record is a record of change in a species over time.
- Geologists found that fossil organisms on the bottom, or older, layers were more primitive than those in the upper, or newer, layers.
- These findings supported Darwin's concept of descent with modification.
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What is a fossil?
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The remains or traces of an organism that died long ago.
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What is a transitional fossil and why are the important?
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- Any fossilized remains of a life form that exhibits traits common to both an ancestral group and its derived descendant group.
- They are important because they support Darwin's idea that organisms do change over time.
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How did the study of fossils help support Darwin's ideas about evolution?
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That organisms do change over time.
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What is principle of superposition?
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If the rock strata at a location have not been distributed, the lowest stratum was formed before the strata above it.
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Bio-geography
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The study of the distribution of organisms around the world, reveals a pattern of evolution of organisms.
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Comparative Anatomy
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Comparative anatomy is when scientists compare the bone structures of different organisms to find similarities.
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What would similarities in bone structure indicate to a scientist?
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That two organisms have a common ancestor.
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What are homologous structures?
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Anatomical structures that occur in different species and that originated by heredity from a structure in the most recent common ancestor of the species.
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What are analogous structures?
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Have closely related functions that don't derive from the same ancestral structure.
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What are vestigial structures?
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Serve no function but resemble structures with functional roles in related organisms.
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Many modern whale species have vestigial pelvic and leg bones. What does this suggest about the ancestry of modern whales?
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Their ancestors had legs and walked on land.
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Comparative Embryology
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- Embryology, the study of embryo development, reveals that even organisms that are very different from each other in their adult forms can have similar patterns of development.
- Two species that exhibit similar traits during development are likely to have a common ancestor.
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In all animals with backbones, including humans, early embryos have gill slits that later develop into structures of ears and throats in mammals. What does this suggest about the relationship between all vertebrates?
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That they had a common ancestor.
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Which statement best explains why embryology is useful to taxonomists?
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Comparing the development of embryos reveals evolutionary relationships.
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Which of these is not evidence that two organisms should be classified in the same group?
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They eat the same prey.
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Molecular Biology
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- Molecular biology provides the most reliable evidence that two organisms are related.
- One type of method scientists use is called DNA sequence analysis.
- During DNA analysis, scientists compare the DNA nucleotide sequences of two different organisms.
- The more closely related two organisms are, the more similar their DNA will be.
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What are the 4 bases found in the nucleotides of DNA?
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A,T,C,G
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Every ______ nucleotides correspond to a specific _______
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3, amino acid
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About what % of nucleotides are the same between the banana and human?
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About 50%
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About what % of nucleotides are the same between the chimp and human?
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About 98%
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Scientists look at evidence to determine possible evolutionary relationships and mechanisms. Which of the following provides strong evidence for evolution?
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The fossil record
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When Darwin first proposed his theory of evolution by natural selection, the field of genetics did not yet exist. In what way does genetic science now contribute to the study of evolution?
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- Scientists can compare the DNA from fossils in rock to determine evolutionary relationships among extinct species.
- Scientists can determine evolutionary relationships among living species by comparing amino acid sequences coded for by DNA.
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Observed Evolutionary Change
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- Observed evolutionary change occurs when we witness the creation of a new species in our own lifetime.
- We can observe the evolution of bacteria in our lifetime.
- Bacteria evolve constantly because they reproduce quickly and mutate often.
- Populations of bacteria that contain some members that are antibiotic-resistant due to random mutation can evolve very quickly to all because antibiotic resistant.
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What is the name of the process when a new species is formed?
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Speciation
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How does drug resistance develop in bacteria?
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In the presence of an antibiotic, bacteria with genes that make them resistant survive and eventually take over the population.
