module 4 - 10.4 evidence for evolution Flashcards
what is evolution?
when things change - not always improvement
what are the 4 sources of evidence of evolution by natural selection?
- palaeontology
- comparative anatomy
- comparative biochemistry
- evolutionary or comparative embryology
what is palaentology?
scientific study of life that existed prior to the start of the holocene epoch
what is comparative anatomy?
study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species
what is comparative biochemistry?
similarities & differences in amino acid sequences in proteins & base sequences in DNA & RNA
what is evolutionary or comparative embryology?
study of similarities and differences between embryos
what evidence is there for evolution by natural selection?
- 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
what are the homologous structures within comparative anatomy?
- structures similar in different species
- species evolved by divergent evolution from common ancestor
- may/may not perform same function
what are the analogous structures within comparative anatomy?
- structure in different species
- species have evolved by convergent evolution
- evolved from similar environment but not from recent common ancestor
what biochemical processes are all known extant organisms based on?
genetic information encoded as nucleic acid, transcribed into RNA, then translated into proteins by highly conserved ribosomes
what is the energy currency for all extant life?
ATP
what do DNA sequences show?
degree of relatedness between organisms
what allowed the 3 domain system?
sequence of 16S ribosomal RNA gene
what evidence is there for natural selection within comparative biochemistry to do with proteins?
variance of the protein CYTOCHROME C in living cells
what is 16S ribsosomal RNA?
the RNA component of the 30S subunit of a prokaryotic ribosome