Darwin & Whales
Natural Selection
Fossils
Homology
Evolution
100
Who was the first person to come up with evidence of evolution?
Charles Darwin
100
Define Natural Selection.
The mechanism by which evolution occurs.
100
Preserved remains of an organism is called?
A fossil
100
Define Homology.
Similarity due to a common ancestor.
100
Define Evolution.
(Must have exact definition)
Change in the heritiable characteristics of a population over time.
200
What three evidence's did Darwin's use to support his Theory of Evolution?
1. Geologic change (marine fossils found on the top of the mountains/ extinct species) 2. Finches 3. Selective Breeding of dogs.
200
What three things are requried for Natural Selection to occur?
1. Genetic Variation
2. Selective Pressure forcing survivial.
3. Reproduction of surviving offspring
200
What is a transitional fossil and what are scientists looking for in terms of evolution?
A transitional fossil is a fossil that shows a step or stage in the change of heritable characteristics of a specific species or group or organisms. Scientists are looking for evidence of transition between one form and another. Ie. vestigial organs, loss of function/ gain of function from a previous state to get to the new state.
200
How can homology be used as evidence of evolution?
two things that share similar characteristics (either via bones or DNA) are thought to come from a common ancestor as how else would they have similarities.
200
Distinguish between theory vs law in science.
Theory: an explanation of how a law works, supported by evidence.
Law: an observed phenonomeon.
300
What three pieces of evidence are cited as evidence of the Wolf to Whale hypothesis?
1. The ear bone of a whale on the skull of an organsism similar to wolf.
2. hip bones/ leg bones
3. the movement of whales similar to mammals.
300
Give three examples of things that could be selective pressures?
Examples: natural disasters (volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, etc), disease, predators, invasive species, loss of food/ shelter/ water. etc.
300
How can the geologic column and fossils be used as evidence of evolution?
Geologic column gives us a rough time scale for various organsisms appearing. As a result we can determine which organisms came before other organisms to determine who might have been a common ancestor of other organisms.
300
Describe the difference between a homologous structure and an anologous structure. Give an example of each.
Homologous structure: similar structures, generally different functions (ex. Pentadactyl limbs, arm of a human/ wing of a bat, etc)
Analogous structure: similarity not due to a common ancestory, usually similar function but different structure. (ex. wing of an insect vs wing of a bird; fin of a fish vs fin of a shark)
300
What three pieces of evidence are often cited as evidence of evolution?
1. Fossils and the geologic column. 2. Bone Homology. 3. DNA Homology.
400
State two major issues that have been raised over the current wolf to whale evolution hypothesis?
1. Time is too short for the amount of evolution to occur. 2. Little is known about whales, so it is hard to say what exactly is vestigial. 3. Pelvic bone of Basilosaurus is not connected to the spine possibly indicating it was never used for walking? 4. Lots of creativity in the rendering of the skull of Pakicetus, newer evidece does not suggest the changes in blowholes etc that would be expected from the fossils, 5. Ear bone found in Pakicetus thought to match whales actually is not the same- more plate like than round which is distinctly different.
Many others.
400
Diagram AND Annotate how a bacteria cell could become resistant to 3 different drugs.
Indicate your understanding of the three aspects of natural selection.
400
Name 2 strengths and two weaknesses of the fossil record/ geologic column as evidence of evolution.
Strengths: Easy to see connections, Physical/ tangible, Can identify order/ ancestry/ ages using layers using geologic column
Weaknesses: Missing information about anything other than structure, Some inferences can be made, No DNA found, Relatively rare to find, not all organisms are fossilized, not all are complete, Can be subjective
400
According to the following cladogram, who is most closely related to the Hippopotamus? Explain.
The whale. The branch of the hippopotamus is coming from the whale line and shares a closer common ancestor compared to the giraffe.
400
The statement "Humans evolved from chimpanzees" is scientifically inaccurate. What would be a more appropriate statement? AND why?
Humans and chimpanzees have a common ancestor.
Why? because it is not that one species evolves into another but rather than both share a common ancestor (common descent)
500
How would finding a Duradon fossil in the same geologic layer as Rodhocetus possibly change our understanding of whale evolution?
Since Rodhocetus is considered an ancestor of Duradon (as well as the modern whale) finding a Duradon fossil in the same geologic layer would cause a shift in the understanding of whale evolution. The reason is that either Rodhocetus OR Duradon would not longer be able to be considered an ancestor of the Whale as one would have diverged before the other.
500
Describe how natural selection may have played a role in the development of Giraffe's long necks? (Use three aspects in your description)
Genetic Variation: variations in the lengths of necks & possibly height of trees.
Selective Pressure: being able to reach the leaves on the tallest trees... shortage of food at the lower levels? etc. Only those with the tallest necks could reach the food.
Reproduction: Tallest necks reproduce and pass down their traits to the next generation.
500
Put the following fossils in order from newest to oldest. Then explain the discrepency.
(newest) Fern, Ammonite, Gastropod/Crinoid/ Coral, Trilobite (oldest)
There is no way to tell from the given information if the Gastropod, Crinoid, and Coral came first. More information would be needed from other outcroppings to actively determine this.
500
Using the following sequence comparison, who is the most DISTANTLY related to the mouse? Explain.
The frog. More differences, the greater the evolutionary distance between the two species.
Mouse/ Frog- 5 differences, 12 similarities
Mouse/ Chicken- 4 differences, 13 similarities
Mouse/ Human, Rabbit & Opossum - 2 differences, 15 similarities
500
Name 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of Bone Homology as evidence of evolution.
Strengths: Easy to compare organisms, Physical and tangible, Similarity allows ancestry identification, Generally easy to follow
Weaknesses: Doesn’t give you a full picture, no DNA (if fossilized) Similarity does not always equate to ancestry and/or does not match DNA alignment, Can be subjective