Biodiversity and Evolution
|Sources of Evidence for Evolution
• Organisms inhabiting earth change over time to adapt and
survive in their environment.
A) FOSSIL RECORDS
- Sedimentary rocks are where fossils commonly
found
- used by paleontologist for studying evolution
- Remains or organisms:
(bones, shells, teeth, feces, plants)
- Embedded in:
(rocks, peat, resin, ice)
- Types of fossils:
a) Impression
~ imprint
~ shallow external molds left by
animal/plant with little or no organic
materials present
b) Compression
~ is the other side with more organic
material
- Determining age of fossils:
a) Relative Dating
~ comparing rocks by layer
~ fossils found in bottom layer are much
older that those upper layer of rocks
b) Radiometric Dating/Carbon Dating
~ using the decay of radioactive isotopes
present in rocks
~ all organisms have decaying carbon-14
~ carbon-14 decays to form nitrogen-14
~ carbon-14 = 5730 years
B) COMPARATIVE ANATOMY
a) Homologous
~ structures of bones from different
species are the same but functions
differently
b) Analogous
~ have similar functions but different
origin/structure of bones
C) EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT
• embryo – is the early stage of development of organisms
• stages: (blastula, gastrula, organogenesis)
|Types of Evolution
a) Divergent Evolution
~ is splitting of ancestral population in 2 or more sub-
populations (geographically isolated from one another).
b) Convergent Evolution
~ is increase in similarities among species derived from
different ancestors as a result of similar adaption to survive
the environment.
|Geologic Time Scale
• shows appearance of various kinds of organisms in
particular period
• Era (largest division of GTS), and divided by Periods
|Theories of Evolution
• proposed by: Jean Baptiste de Lamarck
- 1st evolutionist to believe organisms changes over time
- Uses fossils as guide
a) Theory of Need
~ organisms change and develop characteristics
in response to the environment to survive
b) Theory of Use and Disuse
~ organs not in use will disappear and organs in
use will develop
c) Theory of Acquired Characteristics
~ characteristics were inherited by their offspring
and propagated by next generation
|Darwinian Theory
• proposed by: Charles Darwin
• Theory of Natural Selection
~ in selective breeding, farmer selects best and desirable
trait to propagate
~ in natural selection, environmental factors promote survival
of the fittest and eliminates less fit