® Il. LEARNING CONTENT = THATS sereuTiFICy Evolution is a crucial unifying principle in biology. As Theodosius Dobzhansky once s: “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” Dobzhansky's quote meant that evolution is the comerstone of biology and is central to understanding living and extinct organisms. But what, exactly, are the features of biology that make more sense through the lens, of evolution? To put it another way, what are the indications or traces that show evolution has taken place in the past and is stil happening today? This week's lesson focuses on the different evidence of evoluticn to answer the different questions posted above. Read along and learn the different evidence of evolution. Before diving into the learning content, fire up your brain as you answer the scie- something: os Why do people tend to say, “to see is (0 believe"? fb =cte SOMETHING The idea of evolution is sometimes anchored with the statement ‘to see is to believe” because through our observation, we can derive a particular conclusion connected to what we see. We Christians believe that God loves us through His son Jesus Christ as stated in 1 John 5:1 that “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.” John reminds the community that everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah — the anointed Son of God — has been born of God. They have no reason to be afraid, for they belong to God. As God's children, they can rest assured that they are loved and protected by their divine parent. In connection to our topic this week, we tend to look into evidence or proof that population. changes over time, which is the main point of evolution. The evidence for evolution is substantial and persuasive. Biologis's can observe the signature of past and present evolution at every level of organization in biological systems, On the Origin of Species, Darwin devoted a significant section of his book to uncovering pattems in nature that were consistent with evolution, and since then, cur understanding has grown clearer and broader. = EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION Let's make sure we're on the same page regarding evolution before looking at the data. Evolution, in broad terms, is a change in a population's genetic makeup (and, in many cases,heritable traits) over time. Macroevolution and microevolution are two forms of evolution that biologists sometimes distinguish based on scale. How Do We Know That Evolution Has Occurred? The evidence for evolution has primarily come from four sources: 1. the geographic distribution of related species 2. the fossil record of change in earlier species 3. the chemical and anatomical similarities of related life forms 4. the recorded genetic changes in living organisms over many generations Evidence for evolution is continually being gathered and tested; consequently, scientists gue that evolution is both a fact and a theory. How can we be certain if the evidences provided are factual and not assumptions? “SOLE SOMETHING] 1. Biogeography Biogeography is the study of the distribution of gla and animals on Earth. The distribution of organisms in an environment can be an essential tool for explaining evolution. As observed by Charles Darwin in |", the Galapagos Islands, there were finches aiacaaat with diferent shapes of beaks depending on hte Fes their geographical locations. Each species _giticos a ne was slightly different from the others. Using Fs, -, sours te 2g atc this observation, Darwin was able to infer that these finches could have descended with modification from a common mainland ancestor, Because different locations have different natural conditions, different animals 5 develop certain striking features. 4 *The different Galapagos finches observed by Darwin were almost similar to the South American finch, yet they have different shapes of beaks. The beaks were modified so they could get food quickly. How vital location in understanding the evolution of organisms? Did you know that... In the 1970s, biologists Peter and Rosemary Grant went to the Galépagos Islands to re- ludy Darwin's finches. They spent more than 30 years on the project, but their efforts paid ctf. They were able to observe evolution by natural selection taking place. While the Grants were on the Galépagos, a drought occurred, so fewer seeds were available for finches to eat. Birds with smaller beaks could crack open and eat only the smaller seeds. Birds with bigger beaks could crack open and eat seeds of all sizes. As a result, many ofthe smaller-beaked birds died in the drought, whereas birds with bigger beaks survived and reproduced. betta rgBooshavetimn RolgyBenk34 Human Bde Wain dawson ogc Fini 2498, Fu 2. Fossil Records A fossil contains preserved remains or evidence of ancient organisms. Fossil records provide strong evidence of the history of life on Earth. They also show how different groups of organisms have changed overtime. Hal Hartley once said, "We discover and invent new ways of finding the same old things.” This quotation manifests that we can find new things through fossils and use them to prove something. One interesting fact about fossils is that they reveal how life on Earth changedfrom one period to another because they appear in a particular order. Fossils of ancient organisms. appear on older rocks. 3. Homologous Structures ‘Another evidence of evolution can be found by studying and comparing certain body parts of different animals. For example, as seen in the illustration, the limbs of medem vertebrates, including humans, frogs, bats, horses, and porpoises(a dolphin-like aquatic mammal), have pretty similar bone structures. These are called homologous structures, Such structures may have different mature forms, but they all camo from the same set of embryonic tissues. Some of the limbs shown in the picture are arms, legs, and wings. Even though they may have different functions among these animals, they are all constructed from the same basic features. Tips logis camexanler oF hamlognir-sochres Homologies ere the result of divergent evolution. Divergent evolution is how. ‘organisms from the same common ancestor evolve and accumulate differences, often resulting in anew species, 4. Analogous Structure Analogous structures are. adaptations that possess similar features and functionality due to exposure to a standard selective pressure but have different underlying enatomies due to unrelated evolutionary ori An example is forming a streamlined body shape in aquatic animals, regardless of ancestral origin. This illustrates convergent evolution as unrelated species have become structurally more alike due tO eXPOSUTE 10 jmonmrsoatana cma/net.owgesnrintnsthaiosince ce shared selection pressures. socaAnother example of this is the wings of a bat and the wings of a bird. Analogies are a result ‘of convergent evolution. Convergent evolution is when two organisms do not share a common ancestor evolve and develop similarities independently. yy YS et Bid 5. Vestigial Organs ‘Some organisms show the presence of functionless and reduced remnants of organs that were once present and functional in their ancestors. Changes to the environment have rendered these organs redundant, and so over time, they have lost their functionality. These structures are called vestigial ‘organs and demonstrate the evolutionary divergence of a species trom past behavior or activity. Evolution has reduced their size because the structures are no longer used. An example of a vestigial organ is the pelvic bone in a whale, structures like the human tail bone What makes useless things be useful? ts SCHEME Fscre comet im SQUEMBS = revi rncr-cawes Va Did you know that. Scientists believe that wisdom teeth and the appendix are leftover “equipment” from when humans ate a primarily ieaf-based diet. As the human diet changed, these appencices became essentially useless. Inside some whales and dolphins are small bones that show they once had back legs and that their ancestors walked on land. These occasionally reappear as tiny rear flippers. hitps:unmu Iacreinever comievoaton acts6. Embryology Another evidence involves the similarities in the early development of various organisms. Different organisms have similar structures during their early embryological development. On the right are four different organisms, which almost have the same early stages of development. Comparative embryology suggests common ancestry because all the embryos have similar early developmental stages. 7. DNA/Protein Sequences The study of DNA and protein sequences is essential for identifying the evolution of organisms on Earth. DNA sequencing is the most advanced tool or evidence for evolution. Similarities in DNA sequences among organisms indicate their close relation to one another. By studying DNA sequences, scientists discovered that chimpanzees have DNA sequences identical to humans. About one-third of the genes of chimpanzees code for proteins that are the same as humans. This strongly suggests that humans and chimps share a common ancestor. However, if you compare their DNA sequences to the mouse's, you would observe fewer similarities, Note that dogs and mice have backbones and are mammals. This means that dogs and mice, although distant in relation, may also share a common ancestry. im By comparing DNA sequences, scientists can determine how closely related one species is to another. Studying DNA and other molecular pieces of evidence makes it easier to trace the evolutionary history of organisms. K ‘ MUS tevin exc Humans share about 31% of their genes with yeast, a single living cell that replicates every 90 minutes. They share about 50% of their genes with a banana. tps ww facretraver comievolution-acts What are the implications of having a good evidence ina certain situation?So, these ate the different shreds of evidence to show how evolution exists. We know how different factors yield to the development of diferent theories conceming evolution. Since Darwin developed his ideas on descent with modification and the pressures of natural selection, various. evidence has been gathered supporting the theory of evolution. Fossil evidence shows the changes jin lineages over millions of years. Studying anatomy allows scientists to identify homologous structures across diverse groups of related organisms, such as leg bones. Vestigial structures also offer clues to common ancestors. Using embryology, scientists can identity ‘common ancestors through structures present only during development, not in adult form. Biogeography offers further clues about evolutionary relationships. The presence of related ‘organisms across continents indicates when these organisms may have evolved, Finally, molecular biology provides data supporting the theory of evolution. In particular, the universality of DNA and near universality of the genetic code for proteins shows that all life once shared a ‘common ancestor. DNA also provides clues into how evolution may have happened GENERALIZATION In this second week of General Biology 2, you could refresh your minds about the different scientists and their contributions to evolution. Here are the things you need to take note of for this week * There are multiples types of evidence supporting the theory of descent with modification, as we commonly know as evolution, and the variety of similar organisms proves just that. ‘+ Homologous structures provide evidence for common ancestry, while analogous structures show that similar selective pressures can produce similar adaptations (beneficial features), * Similarities and differences among biological molecules (e.g., in the DNA sequence of genes) can be used to determine species’ relatedness, + Biogeographical pattems provide clues about how species are related to each other. The fossil record, though incomplete, provides information about what species existed at particular times of Earth's history. * Some populations, like those of microbes and some insects, evolve over relatively short periods and can be observed directly, while most organisms like animals can take a long time to evolve and can be observed only through a collection of evidence dated for many years passed. -end-