Chapter 15.

2 Evolution

NWRC
BIO 30
 Support for Evolution
• Biological evolution, simply put, is
descent with modification. This
definition encompasses small-scale
evolution (changes in gene frequency in
a population from one generation to the
next) and large-scale evolution (the
descent of different species from a
common ancestor over many
generations). Evolution helps us to
understand the history of life
Descent with Modification
 Support for Evolution
• Through the process
of descent with
modification, the
common ancestor of
life on Earth gave rise
to the fantastic
diversity that we see
documented in the
fossil record and
around us today.
Support for Evolution Fossil Record
• Fossils are traces of organisms
that lived in the past. When
fossils are found, they are
analyzed to determine the age
of the fossil. The absolute age of
the fossil can be determined
though radiometric dating and
determining the layer of rock in
which the fossil was found.
Older layers are found deeper
within the earth than newer
layers.
• Before going on watch the
video: Evolution Primer #3: How
Do We Know Evolution
Happens?
 Fossil Record
• Ancestral characteristic
• An ancestral characteristic is a modified
character shared between two groups and
present in their common ancestor(s) in an
unmodified form.
 Fossil Record
• An example in which the ancestral
characteristic is considered is with bird
feathers and mammalian hair, both of
which are modifications on the reptilian
scale. In this case the reptilian scale is
considered to be the ancestral
characteristic.
 Fossil Record
• Derived characteristics
• A derived characteristic is a novel modification of
the ancestral form. So, in the Last example,
both hair and feathers represent derived
characteristics.
• The sharing of presumptive derived
characteristics is considered to be important
evidence of evolutionary relatedness.
Comparative Anatomy
• Comparative anatomy
is the study of
similarities and
differences in the
anatomy of
organisms.
Comparative Anatomy
Comparative Anatomy
 Homologous Structures
• Comparing the structures of the forelimbs
of the animals on the previous slides
(including humans) all evolved from a
common ancestor and they all share
common anatomical traits. Though the
limbs look strikingly different on the
outside and though they vary in function,
they are very similar in skeletal structure.
 Homologous Structures
• More significantly, they are derived from
the same structures in the embryo.
Structures that are embryologically similar,
but have different functions, are called
homologous structures. Though these
animals look different, a comparison of
homologous structures indicates that they
are quite similar. This suggests that these
animals evolved from a common ancestor.
 Vestigial Organs

• Some organisms have structures or organs that

seem to serve no useful function. For example,
humans have a tailbone at the end of the spine
that is of no apparent use. Some snakes have
tiny pelvic bones and limb bones, and some
cave-dwelling salamanders have eyes even
though members of the species are completely
blind.
Vestigial Organs

• Pythons and boa

constrictors have
tiny hind leg bones
buried in muscles
toward their tail ends.
Vestigial Organs

• Cave-dwelling tetra
fish (Astyanax
mexicanus) are blind;
they have small
vestigial eyes that do
not work.
Vestigial Organs

• Pelvic bones in
the baleen
whale provide
evidence for
evolution as we
can see that
structures
change over
time
 Vestigial Organs
• Human Vestiges
• Humans also have erector pili (muscles
vestigial features, that cause goose
evidence of our own bumps), body hair,
evolutionary history. coccyx (tail bone),
The appendix, for wisdom teeth,
instance, is believed appendix
to be a remnant of a
larger, plant-digesting
structure found in our
ancestors.
Analogous Structures
• Two structures in biology
are said to be analogous
if they perform the same
or similar function by a
similar mechanism but
evolved separately.
• The wings of pterosaurs
(1), bats (2) and birds (3)
are analogous: they serve
the same function and
are similar in structure,
but each evolved
independently.
Analogous Structures
 Comparative Biochemistry

• This is the comparison of organisms at a

chemical level. For example if you
compared 2 animals very closely related
you would find more similarities in the
sequences of amino acids. For example
as primates we are closely related to
chimpanzees 98.2% similar, we are 97.7%
similar to gorillas and 96.3% similar to
orangutans. **glencoe
 Adaptation
• Organisms that are adapted to their
environment are able to:
• Obtain air, water, food and nutrients.
• Cope with physical conditions such as
temperature, light and heat.
• Defend themselves from their natural
enemies.
• Reproduce.
• Respond to changes around them.
 Adaptation
• Adaptations enable living organisms to
cope with environmental stresses and
pressures. Adaptation can be structural or
behavioral.
Adaptation
• Structural adaptations
are special body parts
of an organism that
help it to survive in its
natural habitat (e.g.,
skin color, shape,
body covering).
Adaptation
• Behavioral
adaptations are
special ways a
particular
organism
behaves to
survive in its
natural habitat.
Camouflage
• The outward coloration
that allows animals to
appear similar to the
plants and places in
which they live is known
as camouflage.
 Mimicry
• The use of mimicry is prevalent throughout
nature and is a prime example of evolution
by natural selection. Butterflies use it as a
protection mechanism in their larva stage
and in the final adult stage. Either to trick
predators into thinking they are an inedible
species or perhaps an entirely different
organism all together.
Examples of Mimicry
Mimicry
• When this moth is
threatened it pulls
back its upper wing
revealing these
"Eyes" which startle
the attacker long
enough for the moth
to escape.
Note the “Eyes” on the toad
Mimicry
• The venomous Coral
snake looks much like
the non-venomous
Scarlet King.
Mimicry
• The venomous Coral
snake looks much like
the non-venomous
Scarlet King.
 End of Sec 15-2
Assessment Questions
• 1. Fossils reveal
similarities between
extinct and living
organisms and some
forms have features
which link the 2
 End of Sec 15-2
Assessment Questions
• 2. Those features
indicate shared
ancestry and greater
fitness to the
environment
 End of Sec 15-2
Assessment Questions
• 3. Complex
biochemicals found in
diverse creatures
would not have
evolved
independently and
therefore indicate
shared ancestry
 End of Sec 15-2
Assessment Questions
• 4. Morphological
evidence is evidence
concerning anatomy
and biochemical is
evidence concerning
the DNA