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Understanding Evolution and Natural Selection

The document discusses the concept of evolution, primarily focusing on Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, which explains how species adapt over time through heritable traits that enhance survival and reproduction. It outlines the origin of life, the evolution of different organisms, and the significance of genetic similarities among species, including humans and chimpanzees. The document emphasizes that evolution is a gradual process influenced by natural selection, genetic drift, and mutations.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
4 views5 pages

Understanding Evolution and Natural Selection

The document discusses the concept of evolution, primarily focusing on Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, which explains how species adapt over time through heritable traits that enhance survival and reproduction. It outlines the origin of life, the evolution of different organisms, and the significance of genetic similarities among species, including humans and chimpanzees. The document emphasizes that evolution is a gradual process influenced by natural selection, genetic drift, and mutations.

Uploaded by

ahmeddmanna3
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Evolution

Origin of life and living beings


dqof neb

any change
change over time". Evolution is
The generalconcept of the word is

characteristics of biological
generations in the heritable
across successive of
at every level
processes give rise to diversity
populations. Evolutionary
species, indi vidual organisms and molecules
biological organization, including

such as DNA and proteins.


often used to refer to
Darwin's theory of evolution by natural
The word is more
of "survival
sometimes crudely referred to as the theory
selection. This theory is

of the fittest."
was formulated by Charles Darwin.
The theory of evolution by natural selection

natural selection as an important


cause of evolution.
who was the first to recognize
of three widely accepted
Evolution by natural selection is a consequence

premises:

More offspring are produced than can


1)

possibly survive,

2) Traits vary among individuals, leading to

differential rates of survival and


reproduction,

3) Trait differences are heritable. Thus, when


members of a population die, they are
replaced by individuals that are not born
from random parents. Instead, these neW
members are born from parents that are
better adapted to the environment in which
natural selection took place.

S
Toles
can cause the evolution
they perform. Natural
of traits that are seemingly fitted for the functional

selection is the only known cause of adaptation, but

e only known cause of evolution. Other, nonadaptive causes of evolution


include

In the
mutation and genetic
drift.t
early 20th century, was integrated with Darwin's theory of
genetics
evolution by natural The
selection thro ugh the discipline of population genetics.
Thportance of
natural selection as a
cause of evolution was accepted into other
about evolution,
Moreover, previously held notions Such
branches of biology. as

obsolete.
orthogenesis and "progress" became
common
forms have descended from
a

Darwinism presumes that all life ancestoI.

a great and sudden lean


Evolution is a slow gradual process.
slow
though slow
It can never take
steps. Natural selection
leap, but
acts onlv .
must advance by short and sure,
[Link] PO09 sos
takng advantage of slight successive genetis
and accumulate minor advantageous
Natural selection acts to preserve
mutations.s wings
species developed a functional advantage (it grew
Suppose a member of a
and pass it on to
would inherit that advantage
offispring
and learned to fly). Its

The inferior (disadvantaged)


members of the same species would
their offspring.
members of the species.
gradually die out, leaving only the superior (advantaged)
that enables a
of a functional advantage
Natural selection is the preservation

speciesto compete better


in the [Link] 6od olnioe lo
Over the
oodt l

Natural selection is the naturalistic equivalent to domestic breeding.

centuries,human breeders have produced dramatic changes in domestic animal

individuals to breed. Breeders eliminate undesirable


traits
populations by selecting

gradually over time. Similarly, natural selection eliminates inferior species

gradually over time.

Evolutionary history of life


oDOubon9
Origin of life
Highly energetic chemistry is believed to have produced a self-replicating
molecule around 4 billion years ago and half a billion years later the last common
ancestor of all life existed. The current scientific consensus is that the complex

biochemistry that makes up life came from simpler chemical reactions. The

beginning of life may have included self-replicatingmolecules such as RNA, and


theassembly of simple cells.

Evolution of life
1- Prokarvotes inhabited the Earth from approximately 3-4
billion years ago. No obvious changes in morphology or
cellular organization occurred in these organisms over the next
few billion [Link] to uiaioeib sb touort noioale
lsn
2- The eukaryotic emerged between 1.6-2.7 billion
cells years0 by
ago. The next major change in cell structure came when bacteria were engulfed
eukaryotic the bacteria evolving into either mitochondria or
cells, with
led to the
hydrogenosomes. Another engulfment of cyanobacterial-like organisms
and plants.
formation of chloroplasts in algae
(Mitochondtia are descendants

of purple non-sulfurbacteria)

Aerobic

bacterium

Endosymbiosis

Mytochondrion

Eukaryotic cell with

cell mitochondrion
Ancestral eukaryotic
(Chloroplastsare descendants

of cyanobacteia)

Photosynthetic

bacterium
Chloroplast

Endosymbiosis

and
Eukaryotic cell with chloroplast

mitochondrion
Eukarya
Archaca
Archaea
3- The history of life was that CBactorja

of the unicellular eukaryotes, Comort Domains of Life

prokaryotes and archaea until

about 610 million years ag0 Archaea


when multicellular organisms
Archaea VS Bacteria
began to appear in the Oceans
Archaea is derived frorn the Bacteria are small single-celled
in the Ediacaran period. Greek word archaios, nneaning organisms. Bacteria are found
"ancient" or "primitive,"and almost everywhere on Earth and
indeed some archaea exhibit are vi tal to the planet's
4- The evolution of characteristicsworthy of that ecosystems.
narme.
Exarmple ExamRle
multicellularity occurred in

multiple independent events,


in organisms as diverse as
Sponges, brown algae, cyano bacteria, slime moulds and myxobacteria.
5- Cambrian explosion. Here, the
majority of types of modern animals
appeared in the fossilrecord, Various
triggers for the
Cambrian explosion
have been
proposed, including the
accumulation of
Oxygen in the
atmosphere from
photosvnthesis. ud
Cambrian explosion
6- About 500 million years ago, plants and fungi colonized the land
and
were
soon followed by arthropods and other animals. Insects were
particularty
successful and even today make up the majority of animal species.

450 mllon years

ago
Vascular plants

Arthropod

Bryophytes

Green algae

7- Amphibians first appeared around 364 million years ago, followed by early
amniotes, then birds around 155 million years ago (both from "reptile"-like
lineages), mammals_around 129 million years ago, Homininae around 10 million
years agoand mo dern humans around 0.25 million years ago.
Chorion
Hominoidea
Amnion o
Embryo
iis HominideaS Hylobatidae

Homininae
Ponginae
Gut

Hominini Gorilini

Aliantois
Homo Pan Gorilla Pongo Hylobate
Yolk stalk
Yolksac
Fig:Keptilint cgg
Human Bonobo Chimpanzee Gorilla Orangutan Gibbon
Common descent of organisms was first deduced from four
simple facts about
organisms:
First, they have
geographic distributions
that cannot
adaptation. be explained by
local
Second, the
diversity of life is not a set
organisms that share of completely
unique but
morphological similarities. organisms,
Third, vestigial
traits with no
0ula
Finally, clear
those purpose resemble functional
ofnested organisms can be ancestral traits
groups -
similar to a
classified

family tree.
using these similarities into a hierarchy
TREE OF LIFE
Bird SANIMALIA
PLANTAE
Angiosperm
Fish

Mam m al
Reptile

Lycopsid
Filicopsi d
W Amphibi an

Chorcata Brachiopod
Gymnosperrn Bryozoa

EchinOderrn
Sphenopsid
Bryophyta
FUNGI
MOLISCa
GreernAlgae Arthropod

Cnidaria
Annelid

Brown-Green Algae
Porifera

EUBACTERIÀ
ARCHAE PROTISTA
BACTERIA

More recently, evidence for common descent has come from the study of
biochemical similarities between organisms. For example, all living cells use the
same basic set of nucleotides and amino acids. The development of molecular

genetics has revealed the record of evolution left in organisms' genomes: dating
When species diverged through the molecular clock produced by mutations. For
example, these DNA sequence comparisons have revealed that humans and
Chimpanzees share 96%of their genomes and analyzing the few areas where they
differ
helps shed light on when the common ancestor of these species existed.

Human chromosomes
Sa The genetic similarity
between a human and
5 6 7 89 10 1 12 13 4 15 16 17 18 19 20- 21 22 XY M
a chimpanzee is:
Chimpanzee chromosomes

96%

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