BIO_10_44_V2_DM_Evidence of evolution

Attachment 1
Evidence of common descent of living organisms has been discovered by scientists researching
in a variety of disciplines over many decades, demonstrating that all life on Earth comes from a
single ancestor. This forms an important part of the evidence on which evolutionary theory rests,
demonstrates that evolution does occur, and illustrates the processes that created
Earth's biodiversity. It supports the modern evolutionary synthesis—the current scientific
theory that explains how and why life changes over time. Evolutionary biologists document
evidence of common descent, all the way back to the last universal common ancestor, by
developing testable predictions, testing hypotheses, and constructing theories that illustrate and
describe its causes.
Comparison of the DNA genetic sequences of organisms has revealed that organisms that
are phylogenetically close have a higher degree of DNA sequence similarity than organisms that
are phylogenetically distant. Genetic fragments such as pseudogenes, regions of DNA that
are orthologous to a gene in a related organism, but are no longer active and appear to be
undergoing a steady process of degeneration from cumulative mutations support common
descent alongside the universal biochemical organization and molecular variance patterns found
in all organisms. Additional genetic information conclusively supports the relatedness of life and
has allowed scientists (since the discovery of DNA) to develop phylogenetic trees: a construction
of organisms evolutionary relatedness. It has also led to the development of molecular
clock techniques to date taxon divergence times and to calibrate these with the fossil record.
Fossils are important for estimating when various lineages developed in geologic time. As
fossilization is an uncommon occurrence, usually requiring hard body parts and death near a site
where sediments are being deposited, the fossil record only provides sparse and intermittent
information about the evolution of life. Evidence of organisms prior to the development of hard
body parts such as shells, bones and teeth is especially scarce, but exists in the form of
ancient microfossils, as well as impressions of various soft-bodied organisms. The comparative
study of the anatomy of groups of animals shows structural features that are fundamentally
similar (homologous), demonstrating phylogenetic and ancestral relationships with other
organisms, most especially when compared with fossils of ancient extinct organisms. Vestigial
structures and comparisons in embryonic development are largely a contributing factor in
anatomical resemblance in concordance with common descent. Since metabolic processes do not
leave fossils, research into the evolution of the basic cellular processes is done largely by
comparison of existing organisms' physiology and biochemistry. Many lineages diverged at
different stages of development, so it is possible to determine when certain metabolic processes
appeared by comparing the traits of the descendants of a common ancestor.
Evidence from animal coloration was gathered by some of Darwin's
contemporaries; camouflage, mimicry, and warning coloration are all readily explained by
natural selection. Special cases like the seasonal changes in the plumage of the ptarmigan,
camouflaging it against snow in winter and against brown moorland in summer provide
compelling evidence that selection is at work. Further evidence comes from the field
of biogeography because evolution with common descent provides the best and most thorough
explanation for a variety of facts concerning the geographical distribution of plants and animals
across the world. This is especially obvious in the field of insular biogeography. Combined with
the well-established geological theory of plate tectonics, common descent provides a way to
combine facts about the current distribution of species with evidence from the fossil record to
provide a logically consistent explanation of how the distribution of living organisms has
changed over time.
The development and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria provides evidence that evolution due
to natural selection is an ongoing process in the natural world. Natural selection is ubiquitous in
all research pertaining to evolution, taking note of the fact that all of the following examples in
each section of the article document the process. Alongside this are observed instances of the
BIO_10_44_V2_DM_Evidence of evolution
separation of populations of species into sets of new species (speciation). Speciation has
been observed in the lab and in nature. Multiple forms of such have been described and
documented as examples for individual modes of speciation. Furthermore, evidence of common
descent extends from direct laboratory experimentation with the selective breeding of organisms
—historically and currently—and other controlled experiments involving many of the topics in
the article. This article summarizes the varying disciplines that provide the evidence for
evolution and the common descent of all life on Earth, accompanied by numerous and
specialized examples, indicating a compelling consilience of evidence.
More information can be found here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evidence_of_common_descent

Attachment 2

Activity: Make a concept map on term ‘Evolution’.

Key words: theory, examples, evidences, directions of evolution