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Section 27.2 – Evidence of Evolution
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http://weburbanist.com/2010/02/16/a- history-of-phones-9-telephone-transitions- that-rocked-the-industry/
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Biological evolution (evolution) is all the changes that have occurred in living things since the beginning of life Table 27.1 ◦ Earth is ~4.6 billion years old ◦ Prokaryotes (first living organisms) ~ 3.5 billion years ago ◦ Eukaryotic cells ~2.1 billion ◦ Multicellularity ~700 million years
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Descent with modification - all living things share the same fundamental characteristics: ◦ Made of cells ◦ Take chemicals and energy from the environment ◦ Respond to external stimuli ◦ Reproduce Living things are diverse ◦ adapted to different environments Provide evidence that evolution occurred in the past and is still occurring
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Fossil Evidence Fossils are the remains and traces of past life or any other direct evidence of past life Most fossils are found embedded in sedimentary rock ◦ Weathering + erosion of rocks = sediment ◦ Particles can accumulate = stratum (layer of rock) Used to relative age fossils (depth/layer)
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Fossil Evidence Fossils can serve as transitional links between groups ◦ Example: Archaeopteryx (lived ~165 million years ago), intermediate form between dinosaurs and birds ◦ Some traits are like descendants and some are similar to ancestors
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Geological Timescale Studying strata, divide earth’s history into: ◦ eras – periods – epochs Two ways to age fossils ◦ Relative dating Relative order of fossils and strata based on the layer of rock Does not determine the actual date ◦ Absolute dating Relies on radioactive dating to assign an actual date All radioactive isotopes have a particular half-life Carbon 14 ( 14 C) is the only radioactive isotope in organic matter
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Biogeographical Evidence The study of the range and distribution of plants and animals in different places throughout the world ◦ 6 biogeographical regions Continental Drift ◦ Positions of continents and oceans have changed over time; ◦ Creates a barrier to accessibility ◦ Permian period ~250 million years ago ◦ Triassic period ~220 million years ago ◦ Jurassic period 144 million years ago ◦ Cretaceous period 65 million years ago ◦ Present day
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Biogeographical Evidence Extinctions ◦ Extinction is the death of every member of a species Mass extinctions ◦ A large percentage of species become extinct within a relatively short period of time 5 major mass extinctions ◦ End of Ordovician, Devonian, Permian, Triassic, and Cretaceous
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Biogeographical Evidence Reasons for mass extinctions??? Asteroid ◦ Cretaceous extinction was maybe due to an asteroid that exploded = meteorites Continental Drift ◦ Ordovician extinction Gondwana arrived at the South Pole and froze ◦ Devonion Gondwana moved back to the South Pole – marine extinction
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Anatomical Evidence Anatomical similarities among organisms Example: Vertebrate forelimbs - same sets of bones organized in similar ways but dissimilar functions Unity? ◦ Common Ancestor
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Anatomical Evidence Homologous structures: anatomically similar (inherited from a common ancestor) ◦ Homology = organisms are related Analogous structures: same functions but not constructed similarly (no common ancestry) ◦ Wings of birds and bats Vestigial structures: features are fully developed in one group but are reduced/no function in similar groups ◦ Ex: Ostrich – has wings but does not fly
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Anatomical Evidence Traces of evolutionary history! ◦ Ancestral history Ex. Ambulocetus to whales (land to water) Relate homology to embryological development ◦ All vertebrates as embryos: Postanal tail Pair pharyngeal pouches BUT develop differently: Fishes and amphibian – functioning gills Humans – cavity of the middle ear and auditory tube, tonsils, thymus and parathyroid glands
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Biochemical Evidence Almost all living organisms use the same basic biochemical molecules ◦ DNA, ATP, enzymes ◦ Same DNA triplet code (20 amino acids - for proteins) Only slight differences ◦ Humans share a large number of genes with simpler organisms ◦ More similar DNA sequences – more similar the organisms are
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Evolution is no longer just a hypothesis – but is a theory Theory? ◦ Conceptual schemes that are supported by a large number of observations and scientific experiences
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SUMMARY EVOLUTION? ◦ all the changes that have occurred in living things since the beginning of life due to differential reproductive success 4 types of evidence? Examples? ◦ Fossil ◦ Biogeographical ◦ Anatomic ◦ Biochemical https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3GagfbA2vo
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Complete Check Your Progress p.548 #1-3 Complete Check Your Progress p.550 #1-2 Evidence of evolutionary change through time
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