BIODIVERSITY AND EVOLUTION

GROUP: 5
SOURCES OF
EVIDENCE  EVIDENCE FROM FOSSIL RECORDS

• They are traces of organism that lived

in the past and were preserved by
natural process or catastrophic
events.
• They can be remains of organisms
which include bones, shells, teeth,
and also feces embedded in rocks,
peat, resin, and ice.
• Paleontologist is a person who studies
fossils.
 Most fossils were commonly found in sedimentary rocks.

 They were from the hard parts of the organism like woody stem,
bones, or teeth
Another type of fossil is an imprint or
impression.
Imprints or Impression
Imprints are shallow external molds
left by animal or plant tissues with
little or no organic materials present.

Compression is the other side with

more organic materials.
 Determining the age of fossils Do you know how a paleontologist
usually determines the age of a fossil? Paleontologists make initial
estimates of the age through the position in the sedimentary rocks.
Fossils found in the bottom layer are much older than those found in
upper layer of rocks.
 Relative dating is a method used to determine the age of the rocks
by comparing them with the rocks in the other layer. The younger
sedimentary rock layer is assumed to be found on top and the older
rock is found at the bottom layer.
 Another method is through the use of radioactive isotopes such as
carbon-14. Radiometric dating is a method used to determine the
age of rocks using the decay of radioactive isotopes present in
rocks.
 Carbon dating is used to tell the age of organic materials. Art
collectors use carbon dating to determine if a piece of art work is
genuine or not.
 GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE

 Era is the largest division of Geologic

Time Scale, namely Precambrian,
Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic.
Each Era is further divided into Period.
 Hint of Evolution from Comparative
Anatomy
 Another hint of evolutionary concept is from the comparative
anatomy.
 Homologous structures may perform different functions in the
species living in the different environment, or it may have the same
origin but different functions. Here are some example of
homologous structures: forelimbs of dog, bird, lizard, and whale,
which are structurally the same, but functionally different.
 Analogous structures have similar functions but different origin.
Examples are wings of birds, bats, and insects that have the same
function but different in origin.
Divergent evolution
 The presence of homologous structures
is a strong indicator that the organisms
evolved from common ancestors. This
type of evolution is called divergent
evolution.
 Divergent evolution is the splitting of an
ancestral population into two or more
subpopulations that are geographically
isolated from one another.
 Convergence is an increase in
Convergent evolution similarities among species derived from
different ancestors as a result of similar
adaptation to similar environment. In
convergent evolution, analogous
structures of unrelated organisms from
different ancestors develop similar
function such as butterfly wings and
bird wings.
  Evidence from Embryonic
Embryonic Development Development An embryo is an early
stage of development in organisms.
Embryonic development include
stages such as blastula, gastrula, and
organogenesis. The embryo of fishes,
salamanders, lizards, birds, cats, and
humans are similar during the first
stage of their embryonic
development; and have several
homologous structures that are not
present when the organisms are
adults Studies show that species that
are closely related exhibit similar
embryonic development.
Theories of
Evolution
Jean Baptiste de Lamarck

 Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet,

chevalier de Lamarck, often known
simply as Lamarck, was a French
naturalist. He was a soldier, biologist,
academic, and an early proponent of
the idea that biological evolution
occurred and proceeded in
accordance with natural laws
 Jean Baptiste de Lamarck was the first
evolutionist to believe that organisms
change over time. Using fossil records
as a guide, Lamarck was able to
develop three theories;
Theory of Need

 The Theory of Need which states that organisms change

in response to their environment. Their ability to survive
helped them develop characteristics necessary for them
to adapt in a given environment.
Theory of Use and Disuse

 Next is The Theory

of Use and
Disuse; which
according to
Lamarck, organs
not in use will
disappear while
organs in use will
develop.
Theory of Acquired Characteristics

 He believed that traits changed or acquired over an individual's

lifetime could be passed down to its offspring.
 Giraffes that had acquired long necks would have offspring with
long necks rather than the short necks their parents were born with.
This type of inheritance, sometimes called Lamarckian inheritance,
has since been disproved by the discovery of hereditary genetics
 Many scientists rejected the theories of Lamarck. They understood
that if there were changes in cell or body structure, there could be
changes in the genetic information of the species.
 DARWINIAN THEORY: THEORY OF
NATURAL SELECTION
 Darwin's Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection.
 More individuals are produced each generation
that can survive.
 Organisms struggle for existence in order to
survive; they compete for food and space.
 Organisms with favorable and advantageous
characteristics survive and reproduce.
 DARWINIAN THEORY: THEORY OF
NATURAL SELECTION
 Fitness refers to the ability of an organism to survive and produce
offsprings.
 Different individuals in a population possess different characteristics
and abilities. This is called variation.
 Variation among individuals in the population would likely bring
greater chance of survival.
 Phenotypic variation exists among individuals and the variation is
heritable. Those individuals with heritable traits better suited to the
environment will survive.
 DARWINIAN THEORY: THEORY
OF NATURAL SELECTION
 According to Darwin,
giraffe species originally
had varying neck
lengths but natural
selection favored the
survival of giraffes with
longer necks that could
feed on taller trees that
were available. Giraffes
with short neck were
eliminated due to lack
of accessible food
supply.