EVOLUTION

AS SUCH!
Here is where your lesson begins
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Overview
01 Theories of Evolution

Assignment
02
Features or the
topic
trace the development of
03 Will announce later

evolutionary thought
About the
04
• topic
explain evidences of evolution (e.g.,
biogeography,
• fossil record, DNA/protein sequences,
homology, and
• embryology)
 INTRODUCTION

Why was Darwin’s

work controversial?
 “Natural selection acts only by taking advantage of slight
successive variations. It can never take a great and sudden
leap, but must advance by short and sure, though slow steps”

—CHARLES DARWIN
 OVERVIE
01 W
Evolution vs.
Creationism
 WHAT IS EVOLUTION
ACCORDING TO DARWIN?
Evolution brings a remarkable change in the morphology, anatomy and
genetic of a living organism which helps them to adjust in a better
manner in the environment and coordinate with the fluctuating
conditions with time.
Darwin's theory of evolution stated that all life is related and has
descended from a common ancestor.
 Definition of concepts
Creationism
belief that God created all
The Big Bang
living things to be unique according to this theory, matter and
energy back then were the same thing,
and it was impossible to distinguish one
from the othe
The Steady State
Theory
admit that the universe is expanding, but
predict that new matter continually comes to
life in the spaces between the receding
galaxies.
A picture is
worth a
3,500,000,000 B.C.
The earliest evidence of life on Earth

4,500,000,000
B.C.
Earth formed around this year

2,500,000 B.C.
These years ago the Early Homo appeared
Until the 1800’s
● People thought the same types of organisms on
earth were always in existence
● This changed when scientists found fossils of
organisms no longer on earth
What made Darwin question
previous assumptions on
how different organisms
came to be?
Scientists observed…
● Fossil evidence
● Many different species
● Variations (differences) within species
Change in Thought
● Scientists began to wonder how and why these
changes took place
● 2 biologists believed organisms changed in response to
their environments:
○ French Jean Baptiste Lamarck
○ British Charles Darwin
 Lamarck’s Theory
● 1809 – Lamarck proposed his theory of evolution
● Theory based on 2 hypotheses:
○ Organisms develop traits by the use and disuse of body
parts
○ Acquired characteristics – passed from parents to
offspring
According to Lamarck, why do
giraffes have long necks?
 Lamarck’s giraffe example
● Lamarck assumed giraffes had short necks originally and ate
grass
● Grass died due to climate change
● Giraffes ate leaves off trees
● As giraffes stretched necks, necks grew
● Giraffe’s acquired long necks – passed to future generations
● Scientists questioned this theory…
DARWIN’S VOYAGE ON THE
BEAGLE
Born in 1809
Age 22, wen on
voyage on HMS
Beagle (British ship)
as a naturalist
Mapping expedition of
S. America and S.
Pacific
 Darwin’s Thoughts
● Charles Lyell’s book influenced Darwin -Lyell said Earth was
millions of years old
● Observed fossils of marine animals on mountains, etc
● Observed changing earth: earthquakes, volcanoes, etc; saw
change in the land
● Thought organisms would have to adapt to these changes
Darwin’s Studies
● Observed thousands of different species
● Took careful notes
● Collected specimens
● Studies fossils
Galapagos Islands
● Off coast of Ecuador
● Observed MANY different species
● Many similar to those on coast of S. America
● Observed tortoises, iguanas, finches, etc with slight
differences on different islands
● Ex: different beaks of finches
Help from Gould
● John Gould, another British naturalist
● Concluded finches were different species, and were not
on mainland of S. America
● Darwin though species changed after reaching islands
Artificial vs. Natural Selection

● Artificial - breeding for desired traits

● Natural – naturally “desired” traits are bred more often –
causes gradual change in species over time (evolution)
Darwin’s Theory

● Published book: On the Origin of Species by

Means of Natural Selection with help from
another scientist, Alfred Russel Wallace
 FEATURES OF
darwin’s evolution
Variation
Theory based on 4
Offspring
main ideas:compete
Competing to pass the
genetic differences genes/Overproduction

Inherited
Survival
traits
one that is genetically Survival of the fittest
determined
Variations
● Variations (differences) occur among members of the
same species
● Ex: different breeds of dogs, horses, cats, etc.
Inheritance of Variations
● Traits are inherited
Overproduction
● Organisms produce more organisms than can survive
and reproduce
● This ensures that some offspring will survive to
reproduce
● Ex: fish, insects, frogs, etc.
Survival of the Fittest
● Organisms with traits that are better for adapting survive
to reproduce
● Pass on these useful traits
● Natural selection – environment determines which
variations will be selected
 Peppered Moth Example
● Early 1800s, England
● Peppered moths were mostly light gray; few were white,
few were black (variations)
● Gray blended with tree trunks – birds didn’t see or eat
them, so they survived, but black ones were eaten
Peppered moth
Peppered and black moth

PS ,
OP !
G !
SP
 Peppered Moth Cont’d
● Industrial Revolution – many factories built
● Black soot on trees
● Which moths were NOW more likely to survive?
● Once, many years ago, horses were the size of cats.
Now, they are obviously much bigger. How would
Lamarck explain this change? How would Darwin
explain it?
Evidence of Evolution
● Fossils
● Anatomy
● Embryos
● Molecules
● Biogeography
Fossil Evidence
● Show extinct species
● Show relationships between current and ancient
organisms
● Show intermediate species – those in between ancient
and modern species
● Difference in traits – derived vs. ancestral
Anatomical Evidence
● Similar structures found in closely related species; have
common ancestor
● Diverse vertebrates have similar limb structures, but may
not have same function –homologous

● Vestigial structures – structures not currently used by

organism; evidence of an organism’s evolutionary past Ex:
hind limbs of dolphins/whales
Homologous Structures
Homologous vs. Analogous
● Remember, homologous – similar STRUCTURE
● Analogous – structures with similar FUNCTIONS, but
different structures/origins
● Ex: bat’s wing and bird’s wing - analogous
Evidence in Embryos
● Pattern of meiosis (gametes)  fertilization  mitosis
(adults)
● All vertebrate embryos have homologous structures that may
not be in adults:
○ Tails (most adults keep their tails!)
○ Limb buds – become limbs
● Vertebrates have a common ancestor
Molecular Evidence
DNA:
● Basic genetic code for each species
● Ex: humans all have same basic genetic code
● Species that are similar have many similarities in their
DNA
● Species with a more distant ancestor have more
differences in DNA
Molecular Evidence
Proteins:
● Because of similar DNA, organisms of the same species
have the same basic proteins
● Similar species – similar amino acid sequences in their
proteins
Biogeography
● Study of distribution of organisms on earth
● Similar environments lead to similar adaptations in
organisms, even if far apart
Adaptations
● Traits that allow for survival
● Fitness – way to measure how effective traits are
● Examples of adaptations:
○ Camouflage

○ Mimicry
Remember
that…
 • Not all traits evolve slowly; Ex:
bacteria
• Not all traits increase fitness
• Mutations can be a source of new
traits
Population

● Members of same species living in same area

● All genes in a population = gene pool
Population Genetics
● Allele frequency – percent of certain alleles (gene
types) in a population’s gene pool
○ Ex: all homozygous red flowers have a 100% frequency
for red alleles
● Usually remains stable in a population
Changes in the Gene Pool
● Changes can occur in the gene pool, which could cause
evolution
● Kinds or percentages of genes can change
● 4 things cause these changes
○ Natural selection
○ Mutation
○ Migration
○ isolation
4 Factors Change the Gene Pool

1. Natural selection
○ Well-adapted organisms survive to
reproduce
○ Pass on genes to next generation, increasing
the gene frequency
4 Factors Change the Gene Pool

2. Mutation
• Adds a new gene to the gene pool

• Can cause small, immediate change, or go undetected for

generations
• Can be helpful, harmful, or neutral
4 Factors Change the Gene Pool
3. Migration
• Movement of organisms into or out of a population

• Causes gene flow – movement of genes in or out of

populations
4 Factors Change the Gene Pool
4. Isolation
○ Organisms become separate from other organisms
(geographic isolation)
○ Caused by physical barriers, natural disasters, etc

○ Causes speciation

○ Causes reproductive isolation between the now separate

species
Punctuated Equilibrium
● Species remain unchanged for thousands of years, then
suddenly undergo rapid changes
● Fossil evidence of trilobites – unchanged for millions of
years, then suddenly died off
Gradualism
● Evolution through slow change
● Believed to be true by Darwin and many other scientists
● Fossil evidence supports this
 NATURAL SELECTION
YOU WILL EXERCISE
You can find out for yourself why the size and shape of
bird beaks is so important

NEED
● Three different sized seeds/beans
or pasta
● Two different sized pairs of
tweezers or scoopers

● Straws and pegs - optional

● Stopwatch

● Six pots
 NATURAL SELECTION
INSTRUCTI EXERCISE
ON
1. Count 10 of each seed or pasta pieces into three of the pots
2. Decide which pair of tweezers you will use first
3. Time yourself moving the seeds from the pots they are in to an empty pot Repeat this with the
same tweezers for each seed type
4. Repeat again with the larger tweezers
5. Record your results

If you do this with a friend you can start racing each other and see who can move the seeds
the fastest!
 ASSIGNMENT - conclusions
Record tweezer 1
(fastest
tweezer 2
(fastest
tweezer 1
(suitable
tweezer 2
(suitable
results with) with) with) with)

Seed 1
Seed 2
Seed 3
 Create
● Pick any species, and create a scenario
as to how it may evolve based on your
assigned factor. Base your predictions
on facts about the species. Describe
and/or draw your predictions.
Thank you..