GRADE 10

3RD QUARTER LECTURE AND POINTERS TO REVIEW

POINTERS TO REVIEW

EVOLUTION

 Comparative Anatomy
 Genetic Information on Evolution
 Natural Selection
 Theory of Use and Disuse
 Theory of Need
 Theory of Acquired Characteristics

SOURCES OF EVIDENCE FOR EVOLUTION

All organisms inhabiting the Earth have changed over time, their structures, traits, and abilities allowed
them to adapt and survive in their environment.

Evidence from Fossil Records

The geologic history of life on Earth is created from several chapters. One in all the idea of
paleontologists is learning the age of a fossil.

Fossils- are traces of organisms that lived within the past and were preserved by natural means.

Paleontologists - persons who study fossils, confirm the age of fossils through the position of matter in
rocks.

Mold - actual impression of a species after decomposition

Cast - formed when sediments fill the mold until it is hardened to become a rock.
Evidence from Comparative Anatomy

Another hint of evolutionary concept is from the comparative anatomy of organisms. Comparative
anatomy studies the similarities and differences in the anatomical
structures of different species.

Homologous structures perform different functions though they may

be living in different environments, or they may have the same origin
but different functions.
Analogous structures perform a similar function but are different in
structure and do not develop from similar tissues.

Evidence from Embryonic Development

Another source of evidence that the evolution of

life has taken place, is the embryonic development
of organisms. A multicellular organism passes
through different stages of development where an
embryo is the earliest stage a few weeks after
fertilization. Scientists observed that species that
are closely related show resemblance in their
embryonic development. Study the figure below.
Compare the stages of development of fish,
salamander, lizard, bird, cat, and human.

Theories of Evolution

Jean Baptiste de Lamarck was the first evolutionist who believed that organisms change over time. He
used fossil records as a guide and was able to develop three theories:

1. The Theory of Need states that organisms change in response to their environment. Their ability to
survive helped them develop characteristics necessary for them to adapt to a given environment.

2. The Theory of Use and Disuse which according to Lamarck, organs not in use will disappear while
organs in use will develop

3. The Theory of Acquired Characteristics was explained by Lamarck using the giraffes as an example.
He believed that giraffes before, have short necks, but because of the need to survive and in order to
reach tall trees for food, they kept stretching their necks until these became longer and able to get food
from tall trees. These characteristics were believed to be inherited by their offsprings and passed on to
the next generation of giraffes.

Darwinian Theory

The theory of evolution proposed by Charles Darwin based on natural selection is different from the
theories of Lamarck. According to Darwin, giraffe species before had varying neck lengths. However,
natural selection supported the survival of giraffes having longer necks that could feed on tall trees that
were available. Giraffes with short necks were eliminated due to the absence of an accessible food
supply.

Fifty years after Lamarck’s Theory of Use and Disuse, Charles Darwin suggested the Theory of Natural
Selection, after he voyaged to the Galapagos Island in HMS Beagle. He was captivated by the range of
organisms he found along the journey.

In Galapagos Island, he observed that for different food types, finch species have different beak
structures. The abundance of certain finch species on the island was somehow related to the type of
available food for these birds.