Scientific Evidence of Evolution

Question 1

what are the 4 pieces of evidence for evolution?

Answer 1

1. biogeography
2. the fossil record
3. comparative anatomy
4. molecular biology

Question 2

what does biogeography refer to?

Answer 2

the geographical distribution of living things, both presently and in the past
* suggests species change overtime to suit their unique conditions of their environment/region

Question 3

examples of biochemistry evidence

Answer 3

1. proteins: proteins that serve the same function in different organisms share a very similar amino acid sequence.
2. DNA: the sequence of nucleotide bases can be compared for DNA from different organisms to examine similarities (humans are genetically similar to chimpanzees and gorillas)

Question 4

what does comparative anatomy refer to?

Answer 4

the comparison of structures in different things, looking for similarities
* eg. pentadactyl limb, tailbone

Question 5

what is the pentadactyl limb?

Answer 5

five digits at the end of a forelimb; a five-fingered bone structure
* eg. humans, monkeys, frogs, bats, whales

DIFFERENT FUNCTION + SIMILAR STRUCTURE = COMMON ANCESTOR

Question 6

what factors mean organisms have a common ancestor?

Answer 6

DIFFERENT FUNCTION + SIMILAR STRUCTURE = COMMON ANCESTOR

Question 7

what does biogeography refer to?

Answer 7

the geographical distribution of living things, both presently and in the past
* suggests species change overtime to suit the unique conditions of their environment/region

Question 8

examples of biogeography evidence

Answer 8

1. Alfred Wallace:
   north-western islands of Indonesia bird species = similar to bird species in Asia
   south-eastern islands bird species = most similar to bird species in Australia
2. Charles Darwin:
   species on an island were most similar to species on the nearest mainland than species found elsewhere in the world
   * e.g. Galapagos finches were most similar to finches in South America.
   suggests that species change slightly over time to suit the unique conditions of their region.

Question 9

what does the fossil record refer to?

Answer 9

the collection of all fossils ever discovered, arranged from oldest to youngest.

Question 10

define a transition fossil

Answer 10

a fossil in between species that suggests a sudden change from one group of organisms to a significantly different group
* eg. intermediate species (can be missing from the fossil record sometimes)

Question 11

what evidence is there for the change from reptiles to birds?

Answer 11

archaeopteryx:
* Looks like a reptile:
skull shape with teeth
long bony tail
* Looks like a bird:
has feathers