Name: ____________________________________________ Date: _________________ Period: _______

EVIDENCES OF EVOLUTION PRACTICE

The differences in living things on Earth may be better understood through the study of evolution- the gradual change in
the characteristics of a species over time.

Charles Darwin is considered to be the founder of modern evolutionary theory. He described natural selection as a
mechanism for change. When organisms with favorable characteristics for a particular environment survive, they are able
to reproduce and pass on the helpful variations to the next generation. If an organism has a less favorable variation, it is
less likely to survive and therefore less likely to reproduce. The ability to survive and reproduce is called fitness. Each
new generation will have more individuals with the helpful traits, and fewer individuals with harmful traits.
There is a variety of evidence that supports the theory of evolution. You will now examine the five evidences of
evolution by examining the relationships between various organisms.

Evidence 1: DNA and Amino Acid Sequences

By comparing DNA and amino acid (protein) sequences, scientists can determine whether or not organisms are closely
related. Close relatives share more similarities in DNA and amino acids than do distant relatives. For example, the table
below shows the similarities and differences in several species of insects.
→Based on the data, which species are the least genetically related? ___________________________________
→Based on the data, which species are the most genetically similar? ___________________________________

Evidence 2: Fossils
Fossils are remains of once-living things that are preserved in Earth’s
layered (sedimentary) rocks. The oldest fossils are bacteria that lived on
Earth about 3.8 billion years ago. Although the fossil record is not complete,
the general pathway of evolution (change) can be followed. The layer of
earth a fossil is found in, called a strata, determines the period that organism
was alive in. Relative dating compares fossils in similar periods.
Radioactive dating uses chemistry to determine the age of the fossil,
regardless of the strata it was found in.
→ Use the image below to order the organisms and place them on the cladogram in the box.
→ Suggest an improvement to the cladogram template from the box. Support your claim from the fossil evidence.
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Evidence 3- Part 1: Anatomical Similarities

Sometimes structures of different organisms look the same, even if they have different jobs. These structures are called
homologous structures. For example, the “arms” of a whale, crocodile, and bird are used for different things but look a
lot alike. This suggests that the organisms may share a distant common ancestor.

Sometimes organisms have structures that no longer have a job; these structures are called vestigial structures. For
example, humans have an appendix that serves no obvious function now, but may have had a job in a distant ancestor of
humans. This provides evidence that structures change over time.

Alternatively, some structures of different organisms look the

same on the outside, and serve the same anatomical purpose, but
do not have the same bone structure, as seen in the second image.
These are called analogous structures.

→ Given the image below, what evidence would be needed to

determine which of the three types of structures this is an
example of?

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Evidence 3-Part 2: Physiological Adaptations
Physiological adaptations are changes in how an organism works/ breaks down substances. If a bacterium has a mutation
that allows it to break down an antibiotic (a chemical that would otherwise kill it), this physiological change, or
adaptation, will allow it to survive better than another bacterium without this helpful mutation. If the bacterium is better
able to survive an antibiotic, it is also more likely to reproduce and pass on this ability to break down antibiotics
(antibiotic resistance).
→Use the scenario of antibiotic resistance to explain evolutionary fitness.
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Evidence 4: Embryology
Studying organisms in their earliest forms of development also helps scientists see similarities and possible relationships
between organisms. For example, embryos of fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals look very similar. This pattern indicates
evolutionary relationships among these species.
→Which two species below are evolutionarily most similar? __________________________
→Which two species below are evolutionarily least similar? __________________________
→Create a cladogram in the box underneath the image of the four organisms below.

Cladogram:

Evidence 5: Biogeography
The geographical distribution of species can help us
reconstruct their evolutionary histories. At one point, the
continents of the world were all together in one large
supercontinent called Pangea. Over long period of time,
tectonic plates shifted, pulling and pushing the continents
apart. However, organisms and trait similarities can be seen on what are today distant continents, such as Africa and South
America.

Three different species, emu, ostrich and rhea, belong to a category of large, long-legged walking birds are seen in the
image below.

What conclusions can be drawn regarding these three bird

species using the biogeography in the image?

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Cumulating Practice

1. Compare the amino acid sequence of human cytochrome C (protein sequence of a protein found within many
organisms) with that of the other 8 vertebrates. For each vertebrate, count the number of amino acids that differ
from those in the human and write the number in the table to the right.

2. Next, create a cladogram in the box below based on the information from the data table you created in
Question 1 above. Then, add THREE traits from your own knowledge to the cladogram.
3.Based on this information, which vertebrate do you think is:
a. Most closely related to humans? _________________________
b. Least related to humans? ______________________
c. Explain your reasoning for parts (a) and (b) above.

4. The ASL/D2C gene codes for an enzyme (protein) that takes excess nitrogen in the blood and helps convert it
to urea (pee). This gene is what geneticists call a “highly conserved region” which means there have been very
little genetic changes, or mutations, to that gene over time and across species. The table below compares the
similarities in these genes between humans (large mammal), rats (tiny mammal), yeast (unicellular eukaryotic
fungus), ducks (water bird), and chicks (land bird).

If evolution is driven by genetic variation, of which mutations is a major source, then why would evolution
favor an enzyme that is nearly identical in drastically different species, as seen in the image above? What
conclusions can then be made regarding the ASL/D2C gene? Support your claim.

5. The four species below have adapted to surviving in water with streamlined body shapes. What evidence, if
any, would be needed to determine if these species derived from a recent common ancestor and share high
genetic similarities (divergent evolution), or adapted similarly to a similar environment and share low genetic
similarities (convergent evolution)? What type of evolution do you think happened? Include in your response,
key vocabulary from Evidence 3 Part 1 of this activity.
6. Examine the scenario below. Pesticide was sprayed on the flies in three successive generations.

Identify what the gray and red bugs represent in this population and explain the evolutionary change that took
place over time. Support your claim with data from the image.

7. The proteacea flower species is found around the globe in the highlighted areas below. What conclusions can
then be drawn regarding the proteacea flower using the data below?
8. Which of the 5 evidences of evolution provides the best/most support of evolutionary relationships? Support
your claim.