Bio-Pac 07: Objective 04 Flashcards
Objective 4. Explain how each of the following support the theory of evolution: homologous organs, vestigial organs, embryology, and biochemistry
The theory of evolution states that heredity traits of a population of organisms will change overtime. Homologous organs are body parts that are similar in structure but have different uses in different species. For example bones of a bird’s wing and a human’s arm both have the same structure but their functions are different—birds use their wings for the flight and humans use their arms for a variety of things. The differences reflect adaptation to conditions in the environment, and the similarity could be through genetic relationships through a common ancestor. Vestigial organs are certain structures that seem to have no use though similar structures are useful in other species (appendix, tailbone, etc.). This supports the theory of evolution since some organisms use the trait while other organisms changed the heredity trait overtime by treating the trait as junk DNA. Embryology is the studying of likenesses between embryos. “Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny” means embryonic development re-enacts all of your ancestors before you. This supports the theory of evolution because the embryos of a population of organism were once all the same but then the heredity traits of a population of organisms changed overtime. Biochemistry is the presence of common chemicals. For example, hormones produced by the endocrine glands of mammals are all quite similar. This supports the theory of evolution because the heredity traits of a population of organisms changed over time since only mammals use the endocrine glands to produce hormones and the rest of the population of organisms do not.This supports the theory of evolution because heredity traits of a population of organisms will change overtime. For example, hormones produced by the endocrine glands of mammals are all quite similar because
