Chapter 2

Brief Introduction to
Evolutionary Theory
 4 Chapter 2: Brief Introduction to Evolutionary Theory

2.1 Classification

One of the main goals of early biological research was classification, i.e., the
systematic arrangement of living organisms into categories reflecting their
natural relationships. The most successful system was invented by the swede
Carl Linnaeus, and presented in his book ”Systema Naturae” first published
in 1735. The system we use today is essentially the one devised by Linnaeus.
It is a hierarchical system with seven major ranks: kingdom, phylum, class,
order, family, genus, and species.
Carl Linnaeus
(1707–1778)
Specifically, groups of similar species are placed together in a genus, groups
of related genera are placed together in a family, families are grouped into
orders, orders into classes, classes into phyla, and phyla into kingdoms.
When depicted graphically, the Linnean system can be shown in the form
of a tree with individual species at the tips, and with internal nodes in
the tree representing higher-level categories (Fig. 2.1). Along with this
classification system, Linnaeus also developed the so-called binomial system
The Linnean system: in which all organisms are identified by a two-part Latinized name. The
• Kingdom first name is capitalized and identifies the genus, while the second identifies
the species within that genus. For example the genus Canis includes Canis
• Phylum lupus, the wolf, Canis latrans, the coyote, and Canis familiaris, the domestic
• Class dog. Similarly, the genus Vulpes contains Vulpes vulpes, the red fox, Vulpes
• Order chama the Cape fox, and others. Both genera (Canis and Vulpes) belong
to the family Canidae, which in its turn is part of the order Carnivora, the
• Family
carnivores.
• Genus
Note that it is non-trivial to come up with a generally applicable definition
• Species of what exactly a “species” is. According to the so-called biological species
concept, a species is a group of “actually or potentially interbreeding natu-
ral populations which are reproductively isolated from other such groups”.
This definition is due to the evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr (1904–) and
is perhaps what most people intuitively understand by the word “species”.
However, the biological species concept does not address the issue of how
to define species within groups of organisms that do not reproduce sexu-
ally (e.g., bacteria), or when organisms are known only from fossils. An
alternative definition is the morphological species concept which states that
“species are groups of organisms that share certain morphological or bio-
chemical traits”. This definition is more broadly applicable, but is also far
more subjective than Mayr’s.

2.2 Darwin and the Theory of Evolution

As mentioned, the Linnean system was highly successful. So much so in

fact, that in his publications, Linnaeus provided a survey of all the world’s
2.2 Darwin and the Theory of Evolution 5

Figure 2.1: Linnean classification depicted in the form of a tree.

plants and animals as then known—about 7,700 species of plants and 4,400
species of animals. Linnaeus believed that God was the ordering principle
behind this classification system, and that its structure somehow reflected
the divine master plan.

It was not until after the 1859 publication of Charles Darwin’s “On the
Origin of Species” that an alternative explanation was widely accepted. Ac-
cording to Darwin (and others), the ordering principle behind the Linnean
system was instead a history of “common descent with modification”: all life
was believed to have evolved from one—or a few—common ancestors, and
taxonomic groupings were simply manifestations of the tree-shaped evolu-
tionary history connecting all present-day species (Fig. 2.2).

The theory of common descent did not in itself address the issue of how
evolutionary change takes place, but it was able to explain a great deal
of puzzling observations. For instance, similar species are often found in
adjacent or overlapping geographical regions, and fossils often resemble (but
are different from) present-day species living in the same location. These
phenomena are easily explained as the result of divergence from a common
ancestor, but have no clear cause if one assumes that each species has been
created individually.
6 Chapter 2: Brief Introduction to Evolutionary Theory

Figure 2.2: The tree of life, Ernst Haeckel, 1866

2.3 Natural Selection

The mechanism that Darwin proposed for evolutionary change is called nat-
ural selection. This is related to artificial selection—the process of inten-
tional (or unintentional) modification of a species through human actions
2.3 Natural Selection 7

which encourage the breeding of certain traits over others. Examples include
crop plants, such as rice and wheat, which have been artificially selected for
protein-rich seeds, and dairy cows which have been artificially selected for
high milk yields. The wide variety of dog breeds is also a result of artifi-
cial selection (for hunting, herding, protection, companionship, and looks)
and illustrates that rather significant changes can be obtained in a limited
amount of time (a couple of thousand years in the case of dogs.) You should
note that for artificial selection to be possible in the first place, there needs
to be naturally occurring and heritable variation in traits of interest: it is
only possible to breed high-protein grass sorts, if there are some grass plants
that produce more seed protein than others, and if that trait is inherited by
their descendants.
Charles Darwin
Darwin suggested that a similar process occurs naturally: individuals in the (1809-1882)
wild who possess characteristics that enhance their prospects for having off-
spring would undergo a similar process of change over time. Specifically,
Darwin postulated that there are four properties of populations that to-
gether result in natural selection. These are:

1. Each generation more offspring is born than the environment can sup-
port - a fraction of offspring therefore dies before reaching reproductive
age.

2. Individuals in a population vary in their characteristics.

3. Some of this variation is based on genetic differences.

4. Individuals with favorable characteristics have higher rates of survival

and reproduction compared to individuals with less favorable charac-
teristics.

If all four postulates are true (and this is generally the case) then advan-
tageous traits will automatically tend to spread in the population, which
thereby changes gradually through time. This is natural selection. Let us
consider, for instance, a population of butterflies that are preyed upon by
birds. Now imagine that at some point a butterfly is born with a muta-
tion that makes the butterfly more difficult to detect. This butterfly will
obviously have a smaller risk of being eaten, and will consequently have an
increased chance of surviving to produce offspring. A fraction of the fortu-
nate butterfly’s offspring will inherit the advantageous mutation, and in the
next generation there will therefore be several butterflies with an improved
chance of surviving to produce offspring. After a number of generations it
is possible that all butterflies will have the mutation, which is then said to
be “fixed”.
 8 Chapter 2: Brief Introduction to Evolutionary Theory

2.4 The Modern Synthesis

One problem with the theory described in “Origin of Species”, was that its
genetic basis—the nature of heritability—was entirely unknown. In later
editions of the book, Darwin proposed a model of inheritance where “hered-
itary substances” from the two parents merge physically in the offspring, so
that the hereditary substance in the offspring will be intermediate in form
(much like blending red and white paint results in pink paint). Such “blend-
ing inheritance” is in fact incompatible with evolution by natural selection,
since the constant blending will quickly result in a completely homogeneous
population from which the original, advantageous trait cannot be recovered
(in the same way it is impossible to extract red paint from pink paint).
Moreover, due to the much higher frequency of the original trait, the result-
ing homogeneous mixture will be very close to the original trait, and very far
from the advantageous one. (In the paint analogy, if one single red butterfly
is born at some point, then it will have to mate with a white butterfly re-
sulting in pink offspring. The offspring will most probably mate with white
butterflies and their offspring will be a lighter shade of pink, etc. , etc. In
the long run, the population will end up being a very, very light shade of
pink, instead of all red).
However, as shown by the Austrian monk Gregor Mendel, inheritance is in
fact particulate in nature: parental genes do not merge physically; instead
they are retained in their original form within the offspring, making it pos-
sible for the pure, advantageous trait to be recovered and, eventually, to
be fixed by natural selection. Although Mendel published his work in 1866
Gregor Mendel it was not widely noticed until around 1900, and not until the 1930’s was
(1822–1884) Mendelian genetics fully integrated into evolutionary theory (the so-called
“Modern Synthesis”). This led to the creation of the new science of pop-
ulation genetics which now forms the theoretical basis for all evolutionary
biology.

2.5 Mendelian Genetics

An organism can be either haploid or diploid. Haploid organisms have one

complete set of genetic material (and therefore one copy of each gene), while
diploid organisms have two complete sets of genetic material located on two
complete sets of chromosomes (and therefore two copies of each gene). A
particular gene in a haploid or diploid organism is said to occupy a particular
locus (plural: loci). If different versions of a gene are present at a particular
locus (e.g., in different individuals of a population) then these are referred to
as alleles of that gene. A diploid organism may have different alleles present
on the two individual copies of a chromosome. If a diploid organism has the
2.6 Mutation 9

same allele on both chromosomal copies, then it is said to be homozygous

for that allele (it is a homozygote). If it has two different alleles present at a
locus, then it is said to be heterozygous for that allele (and is then referred
to as a heterozygote). The total complement of alleles present in an organ-
ism is its genotype. Depending on the molecular nature of the different
alleles present at a locus in a diploid organism, one allele may not make an
impact on the organisms appearance (its phenotype). It is then said to be
a recessive allele. An allele that is fully expressed in the organism’s phe-
notype is called dominant. In diploid organisms, one allele comes from the
mother, one from the father. When diploid organisms reproduce sexually, it
occurs via an intermediate, haploid sex cell called a gamete (the gamete is
an egg cell if it is produced by a female, and a sperm cell if it is produced by
a male). During gamete formation, genetic material from the two parents
is mixed by the process of recombination. Recombination is one stage of
the special type of cell division termed meiosis which ultimately results in
formation of the haploid gamete. At any one locus, there will (by necessity)
be only one allele present in the gamete. The diploid cell formed by fusion
of two gametes is called a zygote. Sexually reproducing organisms have life
cycles that alter between a haploid stage and a diploid stage. In some organ-
isms most of the life cycle is diploid (e.g., humans, where only the sex cells
are haploid), while the situation is reversed for other organisms (including
some algae where the diploid zygote quickly undergoes meiosis to form new
haploid cells). There are also organisms (e.g., ferns) where the life cycle
alternates between a haploid, multicellular generation and a diploid, multi-
cellular generation. Asexual reproduction is seen in both haploid organisms
(e.g., bacteria) and diploid organisms (e.g., yeast and some plants).

2.6 Mutation

Note: parts of the following sections in this chapter are adapted from
[Link]
As mentioned above, Darwin had no knowledge of the molecular basis for
heredity. Consequently he did not understand the source of inherited vari-
ation, which forms the basis for all evolution by natural selection. Today,
we know that hereditary information is stored in DNA molecules (Fig. 2.3).
The structure of DNA (two complementary strands kept together by hydro-
gen bonded A-T and C-G basepairs) directly explains how this information
is propagated from one generation to the next. Encoded within the string
of nucleotides that make up the DNA of a cell is the information necessary
for the production of catalytic and structural proteins and RNAs.
However, the cellular machinery that copies DNA sometimes makes mistakes
(Fig. 2.4). These mistakes alter the sequence of a gene. This is called
10 Chapter 2: Brief Introduction to Evolutionary Theory

Figure 2.3: Hereditary information is stored in DNA molecules and replicated by

copying each of the complementary strands.

a mutation. There are many kinds of mutations. A point mutation is a

mutation in which one nucleotide is changed to another. Lengths of DNA
can also be deleted or inserted in a gene; these are also mutations. Finally,
genes or parts of genes can become inverted or duplicated. Typical rates of
mutation are between 10−10 and 10−12 mutations per base pair of DNA per
generation.
Most mutations are thought to be neutral with regards to fitness. The
majority of these are lost soon after they appear, and only a small percentage
reach fixation (i.e., increase to a frequency at or near one).
Most mutations within coding sequences are probably deleterious. Muta-
tions that result in amino acid substitutions can change the shape of a
protein, potentially changing or eliminating its function. This can lead to
inadequacies in biochemical pathways or interfere with the process of de-
velopment. Deleterious mutants are selected against but remain at low fre-
quency in the gene pool. In diploids, a deleterious recessive mutant may
increase in frequency due to drift. Selection cannot see it when it is masked
by a dominant allele. Many disease causing alleles remain at low frequency
2.7 Speciation 11

Figure 2.4: Errors during DNA replication is a source of genetic variation.

for this reason. People who are carriers do not suffer the negative effect
of the allele. Unless they mate with another carrier, the allele may simply
continue to be passed on. Deleterious alleles also remain in populations at
a low frequency due to a balance between recurrent mutation and selection.
This is called the mutation load.
Only a very small percentage of mutations are beneficial. The ratio of neu-
tral to deleterious to beneficial mutations is unknown and probably varies
with respect to details of the locus in question and environment. One exam-
ple of a beneficial mutation comes from the mosquito Culex pipiens. In this
organism, a gene that was involved with breaking down organophosphates
- common insecticide ingredients -became duplicated. Progeny of the or-
ganism with this mutation quickly swept across the worldwide mosquito
population. There are numerous examples of insects developing resistance
to chemicals, especially DDT. And, most importantly, even though benefi-
cial mutations occur much less frequently than detrimental ones, organisms
with beneficial mutations thrive while organisms with ”bad” ones die out.

2.7 Speciation

Biologists recognize two types of speciation: allopatric and sympatric spe-

ciation. The two differ in geographical distribution of the populations in
question. Allopatric speciation is thought to be the most common form of
12 Chapter 2: Brief Introduction to Evolutionary Theory

speciation. It occurs when a population is split into two (or more) geo-
graphically isolated subdivisions that organisms cannot bridge. Eventually,
the two populations’ gene pools change independently until they could not
interbreed even if they were brought back together. In other words, they
have speciated.
Sympatric speciation occurs when two subpopulations become reproduc-
tively isolated without first becoming geographically isolated. Insects that
live on a single host plant provide a model for sympatric speciation. If
a group of insects switched host plants they would not breed with other
members of their species still living on their former host plant. The two
subpopulations could then diverge and speciate. Agricultural records show
that a strain of the apple maggot fly Rhagolettis pomenella began infesting
apples in the 1860’s. Formerly it had only infested hawthorn fruit. Feder,
Chilcote and Bush have shown that two races of Rhagolettis pomenella have
become behaviorally isolated.
Biologists know little about the genetic mechanisms of speciation. Some
think a series of small changes in each subdivision gradually lead to specia-
tion. The founder effect could set the stage for relatively rapid speciation.
Alan Templeton hypothesized that a few key genes could change and confer
reproductive isolation. He called this a genetic transilience. Lynn Margulis
thinks most speciation events are caused by changes in internal symbionts.
Populations of organisms are very complicated. It is likely that there are
many ways speciation can occur. Thus, all of the above ideas may be cor-
rect, each in different circumstances. Darwin’s book was titled ”The Origin
of Species” despite the fact that he did not really address this question;
over one hundred and fifty years later, how species originate is still largely
a mystery.

2.8 A Brief History of Life

Biologists studying evolution do a variety of things: population geneticists

study the process as it is occurring; systematists seek to determine rela-
tionships between species and paleontologists seek to uncover details of the
unfolding of life in the past. Discerning these details is often difficult, but
hypotheses can be made and tested as new evidence comes to light. This
section should be viewed as the best hypothesis scientists have as to the his-
tory of the planet. The material here ranges from some issues that are fairly
certain to some topics that are nothing more than informed speculation.
For some points there are opposing hypotheses – I have tried to compile a
consensus picture. In general, the more remote the time, the more likely the
story is incomplete or in error.
The first replicating molecules were most likely RNA. In laboratory studies it
2.8 A Brief History of Life 13

Figure 2.5: Three domains of life: prokaryotes (”ordinary” bacteria), archaea (ther-
mophilic, methanogenic and halophilic bacteria), and eukaryotes (including both
unicellular and multicellular organisms).

has been shown that some RNA sequences have catalytic capabilities. Most
importantly, certain RNA sequences act as polymerases – enzymes that form
strands of RNA from its monomers. This process of self replication is the
crucial step in the formation of life. This is called the RNA world hypothesis.
The common ancestor of all life probably used RNA as its genetic material.
This ancestor gave rise to three major lineages of life (Fig. 2.5). These
are: the prokaryotes (”ordinary” bacteria), archaebacteria (thermophilic,
methanogenic and halophilic bacteria) and eukaryotes. Eukaryotes include
protists (single celled organisms like amoebas and diatoms and a few multi-
cellular forms such as kelp), fungi (including mushrooms and yeast), plants
and animals. Eukaryotes and archaebacteria are the two most closely related
of the three. The process of translation (making protein from the instruc-
tions on a messenger RNA template) is similar in these lineages, but the
organization of the genome and transcription (making messenger RNA from
a DNA template) is very different in prokaryotes than in eukaryotes and
archaebacteria. Scientists interpret this to mean that the common ancestor
was RNA based; it gave rise to two lineages that independently formed a
DNA genome and hence independently evolved mechanisms to transcribe
DNA into RNA.
14 Chapter 2: Brief Introduction to Evolutionary Theory

Figure 2.6: Modern stromatolites in Shark Bay, Western Australia.

The first cells must have been anaerobic because there was no oxygen in the
atmosphere. In addition, they were probably thermophilic (”heat-loving”)
and fermentative. Rocks as old as 3.5 billion years old have yielded prokary-
otic fossils. Specifically, some rocks from Australia called the Warrawoona
series give evidence of bacterial communities organized into structures called
stromatolites. Fossils like these have subsequently been found all over the
world. These mats of bacteria still form today in a few locales (for example,
Shark Bay Australia; Fig. 2.6). Bacteria are the only life forms found in
the rocks for a long, long time –eukaryotes (protists) appear about 1.5 bil-
lion years ago and fungi-like things appear about 900 million years ago (0.9
billion years ago).
Photosynthesis evolved around 3.4 billion years ago. Photosynthesis is a
process that allows organisms to harness sunlight to manufacture sugar
from simpler precursors. The first photosystem to evolve, PSI, uses light
to convert carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and hydrogen sulfide (H2 S) to glucose.
This process releases sulfur as a waste product. About a billion years later,
a second photosystem (PSII) evolved, probably from a duplication of the
first photosystem. Organisms with PSII use both photosystems in conjunc-
tion to convert carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and water (H2 O) into glucose. This
2.8 A Brief History of Life 15

process releases oxygen as a waste product. Anoxygenic (or H2 S) photo-

synthesis, using PSI, is seen in living purple and green bacteria. Oxygenic
(or H2 O) photosynthesis, using PSI and PSII, takes place in cyanobacte-
ria. Cyanobacteria are closely related to and hence probably evolved from
purple bacterial ancestors. Green bacteria are an outgroup. Since oxygenic
bacteria are a lineage within a cluster of anoxygenic lineages, scientists infer
that PSI evolved first. This also corroborates with geological evidence.
Green plants and algae also use both photosystems. In these organisms,
photosynthesis occurs in organelles (membrane bound structures within the
cell) called chloroplasts. These organelles originated as free living bacte-
ria related to the cyanobacteria that were engulfed by ur-eukaryotes and
eventually entered into an endosymbiotic relationship. This endosymbiotic
theory of eukaryotic organelles was championed by Lynn Margulis. Origi-
nally controversial, this theory is now accepted. One key line of evidence in
support of this idea came when the DNA inside chloroplasts was sequenced –
the gene sequences were more similar to free-living cyanobacteria sequences
than to sequences from the plants the chloroplasts resided in.
After the advent of photosystem II, oxygen levels increased. Dissolved oxy-
gen in the oceans increased as well as atmospheric oxygen. This is sometimes
called the oxygen holocaust. Oxygen is a very good electron acceptor and
can be very damaging to living organisms. Many bacteria are anaerobic and
die almost immediately in the presence of oxygen. Other organisms, like an-
imals, have special ways to avoid cellular damage due to this element (and
in fact require it to live.) Initially, when oxygen began building up in the
environment, it was neutralized by materials already present. Iron, which
existed in high concentrations in the sea was oxidized and precipitated. Ev-
idence of this can be seen in banded iron formations from this time, layers of
iron deposited on the sea floor. As one geologist put it, ”the world rusted.”
Eventually, it grew to high enough concentrations to be dangerous to liv-
ing things. In response, many species went extinct, some continued (and
still continue) to thrive in anaerobic microenvironments and several lineages
independently evolved oxygen respiration.
The purple bacteria evolved oxygen respiration by reversing the flow of
molecules through their carbon fixing pathways and modifying their elec-
tron transport chains. Purple bacteria also enabled the eukaryotic lineage
to become aerobic. Eukaryotic cells have membrane bound organelles called
mitochondria that take care of respiration for the cell. These are endosym-
bionts like chloroplasts. Mitochondria formed this symbiotic relationship
very early in eukaryotic history, all but a few groups of eukaryotic cells
have mitochondria. Later, a few lineages picked up chloroplasts. Chloro-
plasts have multiple origins. Red algae picked up ur-chloroplasts from the
cyanobacterial lineage. Green algae, the group plants evolved from, picked
up different urchloroplasts from a prochlorophyte, a lineage closely related
16 Chapter 2: Brief Introduction to Evolutionary Theory

Figure 2.7: Overview of geological periods and examples of life forms existing at
various time points.

to cyanobacteria.
Animals start appearing prior to the Cambrian, about 600 million years
ago (see Fig. 2.7 for an overview of geological periods and examples of life-
forms existing at various time-points). The first animals dating from just
before the Cambrian were found in rocks near Adelaide, Australia. They
are called the Ediacarian fauna and have subsequently been found in other
locales as well. It is unclear if these forms have any surviving descendants.
Some look a bit like jellyfish, sea anemones and the like; others resemble
earthworms. The Cambrian ’explosion’ may have been a result of higher
oxygen concentrations enabling larger organisms with higher metabolisms
to evolve. Or it might be due to the spreading of shallow seas at that time
providing a variety of new niches. In any case, the radiation produced a
wide variety of animals.
Plants evolved from ancient green algae over 400 million years ago. Both
groups use chlorophyll a and b as photosynthetic pigments. In addition,
2.8 A Brief History of Life 17

plants and green algae are the only groups to store starch in their chloro-
plasts. Plants and fungi (in symbiosis) invaded the land about 400 million
years ago. The first plants were moss-like and required moist environments
to survive. Later, evolutionary developments such as a waxy cuticle al-
lowed some plants to exploit more inland environments. Still mosses lack
true vascular tissue to transport fluids and nutrients. This limits their size
since these must diffuse through the plant. Vascular plants evolved from
mosses. The first vascular land plant known is Cooksonia, a spiky, branch-
ing, leafless structure. At the same time, or shortly thereafter, arthropods
followed plants onto the land. The first land animals known are myriapods
– centipedes and millipedes.

Vertebrates moved onto the land by the Devonian period, about 380 million
years ago. The recently discovered Tiktaalik illustrates the transition from
sea to land (Fig. 2.8). Tiktaalik lived approximately 375 million years ago.
Paleontologists suggest that it was an intermediate form between fish such as
Panderichthys, which lived about 385 million years ago, and early tetrapods

Figure 2.8: Tiktaalik is a transitional form between fish and land-dwelling tetrapods
living about 375 million years ago. Its fins show the beginnings of elbow and wrist-
like features.
 18 Chapter 2: Brief Introduction to Evolutionary Theory

such as Acanthostega and Ichthyostega, which lived about 365 million years
ago. Tiktaalik generally had the characteristics of a lobe-finned fish, but
with front fins featuring arm-like skeletal structures more akin to a crocodile,
including a shoulder, elbow, and wrist. The rear fins and tail have not yet
been found. It has rows of sharp teeth of a predator fish, and its neck was
able to move independently of its body, which is not possible in other fish.
The animal also had a flat skull resembling a crocodile’s; eyes on top of its
head, suggesting it spent a lot of time looking up; a neck and ribs similar to
those of tetrapods, with the latter being used to support its body and aid
in breathing via lungs; well developed jaws suitable for catching prey; and
a small gill slit called a spiracle that, in more derived animals, became an
ear. The incomplete specimens found thus far suggest animals that ranged
from 4 to 9 feet (1.2 to 2.75 meters) in length.
The Permian extinction was the largest extinction in history. It happened
about 250 million years ago. The last of the Cambrian Fauna went extinct.
The Paleozoic fauna took a nose dive from about 300 families to about 50.
It is estimated that 96% of all species (50% of all Families) met their end.
Following this event, the Modern fauna, which had been slowly expanding
since the Ordovician, took over.
The Modern fauna includes fish, bivalves, gastropods and crabs. These were
barely affected by the Permian extinction. The Modern fauna subsequently
increased to over 600 marine families at present. The Paleozoic fauna held
steady at about 100 families. A second extinction event shortly following
the Permian kept animal diversity low for awhile.
During the Carboniferous (the period just prior to the Permian) and in the
Permian the landscape was dominated by ferns and their relatives. After
the Permian extinction, gymnosperms (e.g., pines) became more abundant.
Gymnosperms had evolved seeds, from seedless fern ancestors, which helped
their ability to disperse. Gymnosperms also evolved pollen, encased sperm
which allowed for more outcrossing.
Geological periods
Angiosperms (flowering plants) evolved from gymnosperms about 245-202
million years ago. Two key adaptations allowed them to displace gym-
nosperms as the dominant fauna – fruits and flowers. Fruits allow for
animal-based seed dispersal and deposition with plenty of fertilizer. Flowers
evolved to facilitate animal, especially insect, based pollen dispersal. Petals
are modified leaves. Angiosperms currently dominate the flora of the world
– over three fourths of all living plants are angiosperms.
Dinosaurs evolved from archosaur reptiles, their closest living relatives are
crocodiles. One modification that may have been a key to their success was
the evolution of an upright stance. This allowed for continual locomotion. In
addition, dinosaurs evolved to be warm-blooded. Warmbloodedness allows
an increase in the vigor of movements in erect organisms. Birds evolved from
2.8 A Brief History of Life 19

sauriscian dinosaurs. Cladistically, birds are dinosaurs. The transitional

fossil Archaeopteryx has a mixture of reptilian and avian features.
Insects evolved from primitive segmented arthropods. The mouth parts of
insects are modified legs. Insects are closely related to annelids. Insects
dominate the fauna of the world. Over half of all named species are insects.
One third of this number are beetles.
The end of the Cretaceous, about 65 million years ago, is marked by a
minor mass extinction. This extinction most likely was the result of a large
meteor impact that eliminated over half of all species on the planet. This
extinction marked the demise of all the lineages of dinosaurs save the birds.
Up to this point mammals were confined to nocturnal, insectivorous niches.
Once the dinosaurs were out of the picture, they diversified. Morgonucudon,
a contemporary of dinosaurs, is an example of one of the first mammals. Extinction of dinosaurs
Mammals evolved from therapsid reptiles. The finback reptile Diametrodon 65 mio years ago
is an example of a therapsid. One of the most successful lineages of mammals
is, of course, humans. Humans are neotenous apes. Neoteny is a process
which leads to an organism reaching reproductive capacity in its juvenile
form. The primary line of evidence for this is the similarities between young
apes and adult humans. Louis Bolk compiled a list of 25 features shared
between adult humans and juvenile apes, including facial morphology, high
relative brain weight, absence of brow ridges and cranial crests.
The earth has been in a state of flux for 4 billion years. Across this time, the
abundance of different lineages varies wildly. New lineages evolve and radiate
out across the face of the planet, pushing older lineages to extinction, or
relictual existence in protected refugia or suitable microhabitats. Organisms
modify their environments. This can be disastrous, as in the case of the
oxygen holocaust. However, environmental modification can be the impetus
for further evolutionary change. Overall, diversity has increased since the
beginning of life. This increase is, however, interrupted numerous times
by mass extinctions. Diversity appears to have hit an all-time high just
prior to the appearance of humans. As the human population has increased,
biological diversity has decreased at an ever-increasing pace. The correlation
is probably causal.
20 Chapter 2: Brief Introduction to Evolutionary Theory