Evolution of Lifeforms

Charles Darwin’s Theory of

Natural Selection
Comparative Anatomy
How did Darwin add to the Theory of
Evolution?
● As Darwin sailed and stopped on the
Galapagos Islands, he collected various
finches (small birds).
● Upon his return to Britain, he studied
the birds. He concluded that although
they had once been the same species,
small adaptations had caused them to
become different.
● Along with other evidence, this became
the basis for his idea that Natural
Selection through Adaptation was the
mechanism by which Evolution
happened.

Author Attribution
What evidence exists for evolution in
organisms?
● Look at organism populations - variation
exists within the inherited (passed down
from parents to children) traits of
individuals.
○ Phenotypes influence an organism's ability to
survive and reproduce.
○ Individuals with favorable phenotypes
prosper and as they reproduce, pass on their
genes to their offspring.
■ Over time this process changes
organisms to be best suited (adapted)
to live in their environment.
● Homologous and Analogous Structures
also provide evidence for evolution.
Homologous vs. Analogous Structures
● Homologous: Meaning same /
common ancestor.
○ Similar structure.
○ Function (what the structure does)
differs.
○ Common ancestor that they diverge
from. (Divergent evolution)
● Think of a bat’s wing and a human’s
hand. Similar in structure, but one
is used for flying and one for object
manipulation (different functions).
Both bats and humans have a
common ancestor that they
diverged from.
● Analogous: Meaning comparable in a
certain way.
○ Differing structure.
○ Function (what the structure does)
is similar.
○ Don’t have a common ancestor.
(Convergent evolution)
● Think of a bird’s wing and a bee’s
wing. Differing structures, but both
are used for flying (similar function).
Birds and insects do not have a
common ancestor.
Take a look at these 3 organisms.

Which TWO are most closely related?

A. Shark & Wolf

B. Wolf & Dolphin

C. Shark & Dolphin

Let’s Look at the Evidence - Exhibit A
(Limbs)
Let’s Look at the Evidence - Exhibit B
(Jaw Bone)
Let’s Look at the Evidence - Exhibit C
(Cranium)
Which TWO are most closely related?

A. Shark & Wolf

B. Wolf & Dolphin

C. Shark & Dolphin

The Wolf & Dolphin, but how?
Explanation:
Evolutionary Lineages can be expressed
Even though sharks and dolphins are both
through something called a Phylogenetic Tree
streamlined, sharks are fish while wolves and
- see below:
dolphins are mammals.
Homologous Structures:
Wolves and dolphins share many anatomical
similarities due to their common evolutionary
lineage.
Analogous Structures:
Dolphins and sharks come from a different
evolutionary lineage, but look alike due to
living in similar environments.
What might be the cause of the missing box?

Awesome link: Comparative Anatomy

How does variation lead to survival?
● There are two ways -
○ First, variation leads to individuals
better suited to survive. See the giraffe
image on the right.
○ Second, genetic variation leads to
species survival because the greater the
diversity of traits, the greater chance to
survive during environmental changes.
See dog image below.
Is natural selection linked to variation?
● Yes, because natural selection means
those organisms better adapted
(favorable variation) usually survive
and produce offspring.
● This is a continuous ongoing process
because environments are always
changing.
● The organisms whose phenotypes
(expression of their genes) best suit a
new environment are more likely to
survive. Their characteristics are more
likely to be passed down to subsequent
generations.
● In this manner, species adapt to their
environment.
What are phenotypes? What are
genotypes?
● A phenotype is the physical expression
of the alleles (think BB / Bb / bb) in an
organism.
● In other words phenotype is concerned
with what an organism expresses or
looks like. So perhaps Blue eyes vs.
Green eyes.
● A genotype is the combination of the
alleles (think BB / Bb / bb) in an
organism.
● In other words genotype is concerned
with the allele combination, so for
Blue eyes vs Brown eyes we might have
three combinations, BB (Brown ) Bb
(Brown) and bb (Blue).
Darwin vs. Lamarck’s - Theories of Evoluti
on
(VIDEO)