Fossil Record
literally a record of pre-historic fossils to modern fossils. helps understand how modern species evolved from ancestral species
homology
study of Embryo’s between species, and how they compare
Vestigal Structures
structures still in modern species but not used.
ex: wisdom teeth, tailbone, ear muscles
Evidence of evolution
Direct observation Homology Homologous structures Embryology Vestigial Structures Conserved Genes/Proteins/Metabolic Pathways Fossil Record Biogeography
Direct Observation
directly observe small-scale evolution in organisms with short lifecycles
conserved sequences
a base sequence in a DNA molecule (or an amino acid sequence in a protein) that has remained essentially unchanged, and so has been conserved
analogous traits
traits that are similar between different organisms but evolved completely separately
(ex. bird wings and dragonfly wings)
convergent evolution
In evolutionary biology, convergent evolution is the process whereby organisms not closely related independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments.
coevolution
two or more species affect each other’s evolution.
ex. lions get faster so zebras also evolve to become faster
Vestigal traits
structure that has lost its function, and only remains in a reduced form.
Homologous structures
Structures that are slightly different in mature organisms of different species, but develop from the same types of tissues.
survival of the fittest
only the strongest animals will survive (powers natural selection)
competition
contest between living organisms seeking similar resources
adaptation
animals evolve to adapt to environments
ex. moths evolve to have black wings in industrial rev due to smoke
descent with modification
idea that all organisms are related through descent from an ancestor that lived in the remote past
mechanisms of evolution
mutation, gene flow, genetic drift, natural selection
Charles Darwin
father of evolution
