EVOLUTION

The Principle of Evolution

Living things have evolved through time in an orderly fashion, without repetition and without reversal, to produce modern life. OR All existing life has its origins in pre-existing life and has changed to its present state through successive generations.

Contributing Concepts to Evolution

Lucretius 96-55 BC

Universe-shower of atoms with eddies Nature in a constant state of change, growth, deathspecies change with time

Read by scholars in spite of conflict with Bible Note conflict with Creationists universe made all at once then decay

Concepts Contributing to Darwin's Evolution

Exploration of the world in 1700s

World too large for biblical accounts

Too many animals for the ark

Animals (and plants) differ markedly in different parts of the world

Linneuss books

Huge number of living things Living things are naturally related to one another

Contributing Concepts to Evolution

Geology

William Smith
Studied fossils of England Developed the Law of Fossil Succession Fossils succeed one another in an orderly fashion through time New forms appear as time passes not all at once Flood (s) dont explain it

Concepts Contributing to Darwin's Evolution

Geology

James Hutton and Charles Lyell Geologic Time and Uniformitarianism

The earth is very, very old (more than 6000 yrs.) Present day processes explain past changes in rocks (and fossils)

Concepts Contributing to Darwin's Evolution

Jean Baptiste Lamark (1744-1829) Inheritance of acquired characteristics

Characteristics acquired during organisms lifetime can be passed on, inherited. Life evolved by accumulation of acquired characters

Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics

Problems

August Weismann (1834-1914) experiments proved it isnt so with mice James Watson (1928-) described a one-way relationship between DNA and RNA

Concepts Contributing to Darwin's Evolution

Georges Cuvier (1769-1832) Proved extinctions Catastrophism: Catastrophies explained extinctions and new creations Unconformities were evidence of catastrophies Problems:

Extinctions didnt always correspond to unconformities New forms arose between unconformities

Concepts Contributing to Darwin's Evolution

Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802) Poem on Evolution

Evolution of all life from a single ancestor Like a branching tree Lacking a mechanism for speciation

Problem

Concepts Contributing to Darwins Evolution

Thomas Malthus (1766-1834)

Many more are born than survive Individuals in a population compete for limited resources

Evolution by Means of Natural Selection

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913)

Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

Darwins Evidence in Origin of Species

Domestic selective breeding Natural adaptation to the environment Natural variation within populations Malthusian population and competition Fossils Geographic distribution of species Linnaeuss taxonomy

Darwins Evidence
Domestic animals and selective breeding

Produces new forms like new varieties The boundaries between varieties and species are blurred.

Darwins Evidence
Adaptation to the environment

Animals are physically and behaviorally adapted to their immediate environments Darwins finches Diversification of island life

Darwins evidence
Variation within Populations

Variations occur in all species The boundary between species, sub-species and varieties is blurred Variations can be selected for (as in domestic selective breeding) Variations become species in islands by diversification into different environments Variations can become new species characters

Darwins Evidence
Many more are born than survive

Competition must determine which survive

Fossil Records show species arising and becoming extinct (although imperfect record of gradual change)

Darwins Evidence
Geographic distribution

Species in proximity show closer relationships to each other than to more geographically distant relatives. Islands near continents are populated with species closely related to those on the adjacent continent Species are not randomly distributed around the world as a creator would have made them

Darwins Evidence
The natural system of classification (Linnean taxonomy) reflects a belief in descent.

Genera and Families imply that their members are descended from common ancestors (a common ancestor) Evolution is an underlying principle of taxonomy

10

Darwins Conclusions
Natural Selection Evolution Phyletic Gradualism Cladism Competition

Darwins Conclusions
Natural Selection Organisms that inherit favorable variations for their immediate environment will tend to survive more often than others (and reproduce).

Traits appear in a population Nature selectively acts on individuals with that trait to destroy or perpetuate If favorable, trait spreads to whole population making a change toward new variety or species Traits add up

11

Darwins Conclusions
Evolution

Life has changed constantly through time New species have arisen and species have become extinct This occurs because of natural selection acting on variations within populations

Darwins Conclusions
Phyletic Gradualism

The change from one species to another is a gradual process If change in the fossil record seems abrupt it is because the record is so imperfect.

12

Darwins Conclusions
Cladism

Similar organisms are descended from a single ancestor Evolution is like a branching tree

Darwins Conclusions
Competition (ala Malthus)

Many more are born than survive Individuals compete for limited resources Only the best adapted survive Survival of the fittest

Natural selection is the means of Evolution

13

Neodarwinism
The great synthesis of Darwin and modern genetics

Mendel (1860s) (rediscovered about 1900)

Got past the blending inheritance problem 7 characters in 28,000 pea plants Discovered discreet inheritance and dominance Rare traits can re-appear Not all traits blend but offspring are in ratios

14

What Causes Variation?

Sexual Reproduction

Thousands of genes with several alleles each Offspring receive half of their genes from each parent Countless variations possible

What Causes Variation?

Mutation

Changes in the genotype that produce changes in the phenotype

Chromosomal mutations- whole segment of chromosome (many genes) Point mutations particular gene

Mutations are random with respect to fitness

Beneficial, neutral, harmful May change (from neutral to beneficial) if environment changes

Mutagens or not

15

What Causes Variation?

Genetic drift

Random change in the genetic makeup of a population due to chance Founders those who reach a remote environment and are limited in variability Chance death of large part of population leaving fewer variations for natural selection to work on

Species and Speciation

Are Species Real?

Do they form naturally separate populations in nature? Are they arbitrary constructs of mankind? Who recognizes what a species is?

16

Species and Speciation

Definitions of species

Biological Definition: a population of similar individuals that in nature interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

Species and Speciation

Definitions of species

A Paleontological Definition: A diagnosable cluster of individuals within which there is a pattern of ancestry and descent, and beyond which there is not.

17

Species and Speciation

Definitions of species

A Practical Definition: any of that large class of objects of organic origin that are of sufficiently distinctive and consistent morphology so that a competent paleontologist could define them so that another competent paleontologist could recognize them. Alan Shaw, 1964

Time in Stratography

Species and Speciation

Speciation: The phenomenon of a new species arising from an ancestral species

Sympatric speciation Darwin Allopatric speciation since Darwin involves isolation of part of a population Ring species

18

Species and Speciation

Phyletic Gradualism

Small changes add up over a long time Microevolution within a species Species stay essentially the same from appearance to extinction Large changes over a short time produce new species and higher level taxa

Punctuated Equilibrium

Y. malloyi

TIME

I. cingulatum

Phyletic Gradualism

Punctuated Equilibrium

19

Evolution and Paleontology

G. G. Simpson gradualism in the fossil record Biostratigraphy Practitioners used stasis in the fossil record Eldrich and Gould Species are inflexible and non-responsive to the environment Sewall Wright Species are a heirarchical level above individuals and populations.

A new theory of evolution

Macroevolution Allopatric Speciation Punctuated Equilibrium Species sorting

20

Divergent Evolution
Species arise from a common ancestor and adapt to diverse environments, leading to many species, genera, families etc.

Convergent Evolution
Species arise from distantly related ancestors but come to resemble each other due to adaptation to similar environments.

21

Parallel Evolution
Species arise from a single ancestor, diverge, then converge, coming to look alike through adaptation to similar environments.

Cladistics and Cladograms

Primitive characters Derived characters

22

Evolutionary Trends and Mosaic Evolution

Mosaic Evolution: organisms have recently evolved characters and some more primitive characters. Trends: steady changes in one direction of a phylogenetically related group

Trends
Ammonites Response to changing environments??

23

Trends
Horses

Stasis in the fossil record

Lingula Coelacanth Gingo tree Highly flexible opportunists? What does luck have to do with it?

24

Extinction

Extinction is the rule, not the exception. Lucas-Clark All species that have ever lived are to a first approximation dead. D. RAUP

Extinction
Background extinction Mass Extinction

Permo/Triassic (end of Paleozoic) 90% of species Cretaceous/Tertiary (end of Mesozoic)

25

Evidence in Support of Evolutionary Theory

Theory: an explanation of some natural phenomenon well supported by evidence from experiments and/or observations. Theory is never proven in a final sense. It is open to revision or even replacement. Theory is predictive, sometimes of the past. Theory does not explain everything.

Evidence in support of Evolution

Linnean classification of organisms implies common ancestry Faunal succession older faunas more different from present day faunas than younger ones. Evolution implies a very old earth; independent evidence establishes old age for earth

26

Evidence in support of Evolution

Fossils show connecting features that relate classes, orders, families, genera. Closely related organisms show many common characteristics in biochemistry etc. Special environments like caves modify animals, but they still resemble main stream relatives. Land dwelling organisms on islands most closely resemble those of nearby continents, not more distant islands or continents

Evidence in support of Evolution

Natural selection and genetic mutation provides a mechanism for evolution of one species to another. The order of faunal succession supports our expectations; mammals come after fishes. Divergence of a group of animals starts from very similar to the common ancestor and proceeds to very different.

27

Evolution
The fossil record is the fact of evolution.

28