EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION

THE EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION:

1. 2. 3.

Fossils Record Biogeographical Homologous structures

4.
5. 6.

Embryology
Vestigial structures Biochemical Evidence

FOSSIL RECORD
Layers

of sedimentary rock contain fossils

new layers cover older ones, creating a record over time Older layers occur deeper

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/04/3/l_043_01.html

1. FOSSIL RECORD

PALEONTOLOGY

the

study and interpretation of ancient life forms and their evolution based upon the fossil record of plants and animals.

Burgess Shale located between Field, BC and Yoho National Park in Alberta

Fossil record may be incomplete

TRANSITIONAL FOSSILS

Land Mammal

? ? ? ?

2006 FOSSIL DISCOVERY OF EARLY TETRAPOD

Missing link from sea to land animals

2. BIOGEOGRAPHICAL

EVIDENCE

Distributions of plants and animals across earth

Consistent with origin in one locale and then spread to accessible regions
Used to explain that the diversity of mammals resulted from isolated evolution on separate continents

BIOGEOGRAPHY

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3. HOMOLOGOUS STRUCTURES
Similar structure Different functions

All contain the same sets of bones organized in similar ways Yet they are modified extensively to meet various adaptive needs Darwin interpreted this as support for a hypothesis of common descent

Example: vertebrate forelimbs

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SIGNIFICANCE OF HOMOLOGOUS STRUCTURES

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4. EMBRYOLOGY
Embryology

is the study of organisms in the early stages of development vertebrate embryos have:

All

A postanal tail and Paired pharyngeal (gill) pouches

Fishes and amphibians gills Humans cavity of ear and auditory tube, tonsils, thymus and pituitary glands

Similarity

of embryos of all vertebrates suggests a 15 common ancestry

SIGNIFICANCE OF DEVELOPMENTAL SIMILARITIES

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5. VESTIGAL STRUCTURES
Fully-developed

structures in one group of organisms, but are reduced in size and may not have a function in a similar, yet different, group or obsolete function,

Reduced Ex:

ostrich wing, human tail bone, some snakes have remnants of pelvic girdle, whales have remnants of pelvic bone
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VESTIGIAL LIMBS IN WHALES

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6. BIOCHEMICAL EVIDENCE

Almost all living organisms:

Use the same basic biochemical molecules Utilize same DNA triplet code Utilize same 20 amino acids in their proteins

Cytochrome C

Protein that plays a role in energy production in the mitochondria Humans and monkeys only differ by amino acid in sequence
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Humans and yeast have differ by 50 amino acids in the sequence

EVIDENCE CONTINUED

DNA base-sequence differences:

When very similar, suggest recent common descent

When more different, suggest more ancient common descent

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