module 4 - 10.4 evidence for evolution

Question 1

what is evolution?

Answer 1

when things change - not always improvement

Question 2

what are the 4 sources of evidence of evolution by natural selection?

Answer 2

• palaeontology
• comparative anatomy
• comparative biochemistry
• evolutionary or comparative embryology

Question 3

what is palaentology?

Answer 3

scientific study of life that existed prior to the start of the holocene epoch

Question 4

what is comparative anatomy?

Answer 4

study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species

Question 5

what is comparative biochemistry?

Answer 5

similarities & differences in amino acid sequences in proteins & base sequences in DNA & RNA

Question 6

what is evolutionary or comparative embryology?

Answer 6

study of similarities and differences between embryos

Question 7

what evidence is there for evolution by natural selection?

Answer 7

• fossils of simplest organisms, bacteria and simple algae are found in older rocks
• plant fossils appear before animal fossils - animals depend on plants for food
• study structural features of each fossil in sequence
• shows relationships of extinct and extanct species

Question 8

what are the homologous structures within comparative anatomy?

Answer 8

• structures similar in different species
• species evolved by divergent evolution from common ancestor
• may/may not perform same function

Question 9

what are the analogous structures within comparative anatomy?

Answer 9

• structure in different species
• species have evolved by convergent evolution
• evolved from similar environment but not from recent common ancestor

Question 10

what biochemical processes are all known extant organisms based on?

Answer 10

genetic information encoded as nucleic acid, transcribed into RNA, then translated into proteins by highly conserved ribosomes

Question 11

what is the energy currency for all extant life?

Answer 11

ATP

Question 12

what do DNA sequences show?

Answer 12

degree of relatedness between organisms

Question 13

what allowed the 3 domain system?

Answer 13

sequence of 16S ribosomal RNA gene

Question 14

what evidence is there for natural selection within comparative biochemistry to do with proteins?

Answer 14

variance of the protein CYTOCHROME C in living cells

Question 15

what is 16S ribsosomal RNA?

Answer 15

the RNA component of the 30S subunit of a prokaryotic ribosome

Question 16

what are the genes coding for 16S rRNA called?

Answer 16

16S rRNA gene

Question 17

what are the base sequences for the 16S rRNA gene used for?

Answer 17

used to construct phylogenetic trees dur to slow rates of evolution in the genes

Question 18

what is cytochrome c?

Answer 18

• small haem-protein found with inner membrane of mitochontrion
• highly conserved

Question 19

what is the function of cytochrome c?

Answer 19

electron carrier in aerobic respiration AND has a role in apoptosis

Question 20

what evidence is there for evolutionary or comparative embryology within animals?

Answer 20

• all animal embryos look very similar in early development & develop in similar ways
• animal embyos have a yolk sac

Question 21

what evidence is there for evolutionary or comparative embryology within vertebrate embryos?

Answer 21

all have gill-like slits in early development

Question 22

what are Hox genes and what evidence is there for evolutionary or comparative embryology?

Answer 22

• a group of related genes that specify regions in an embryo along the head-tail axis of animals
• they are ancient genes and highly conserved