ELS Module 8 - Evolution

Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Earth and Life Science

Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Grade Level/Section: Senior High School
Module 8 - ELS Subject Teacher: SHS Faculty
EVOLUTION
Fossils or naturally preserved remains of ancient organisms are commonly found in layers of
sedimentary rocks. These remarkable things fascinate scientist since they show striking
similarities with the anatomy and genes with the organisms that live today. Fossil records and
comparative study lead to various assumptions about evolution. In this module, you will learn
about the early ideas, process, and evidence of evolution.
Learning Objectives:
A. explain how populations of organisms have changed and continue to change over
time showing patterns of descent with modification from common ancestors to
produce the organismal diversity observed today; and
B. describe how the present system of classification of organisms is based on evolutionary
relationships.
EVOLUTION
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TSIUt-lHyo&t=680s
Evolution is the process by which the inherited traits of organisms change overtime as a result
of natural selection. When you think of evolution, you would probably remember the English
naturalists, Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace. It is important to note, however, that before
the time of Darwin and Wallace, there were numerous scientists who already thought of
evolution and uncovered evidence of evolution.
Evolution | Page 2 of 10
Edited By: Mr. Erwin John E. Resurreccion
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
SCIENTISTS THAT INFLUENCED DARWIN
A. Carolous Linnaeus
• Tho Father of taxonomy (differentiate classical taxonomy
and modern taxonomy)
• Taxonomy is the science of naming, describing and
classifying organisms.
B. Thomas Malthus
• Believed that populations grow geometrically while
resources slowly increase or not at all, leading to
competition
C. Georges Cuvier
• Established extinction through fossils
• Believed that the earth was immensely old
• Catastrophes caused that each one wiped out a number
of species
• Didn’t believe organic evolution because of the
mummified cats and ibises
D. James Hutton
• Proposed theory of gradualism (Slow subtle processes
could cause substantial change over time)
• Great age of the earth
E. Charles Lyell
• Proposed the theory of uniformitarianism (natural agents
now at work on and within the earth have operated with
general uniformity through immensely long periods of
time)
• This means that slow and long processes created the Earth
F. Gregor Mendel
• Studied garden peas
• Responsible for the: Law of segregation (two alleles for
each gene separate during gamete formation) and Law
of Independent Assortment (alleles of genes on non-
homologous chromosomes assort independently during
gamete formation)
G. Jean Baptiste de Lamarck

• First to propose about the theory of evolution: Theory of
inheritance of acquired traits and Theory of use and disuse
• Physiological needs drive Lamarckian evolution
• Defined evolution as process of increasing complexity
• No extinction of species; species disappeared because
they just evolved into different species.
• Organisms adapt to evolve
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
CHARLES DARWIN
Charles Darwin is an English naturalist and the father of evolutionary biology. Lamarck’s ideas
about evolution influenced the thinking of Darwin, who, at the age of 22, joined a survey
expedition to South America on the ship HMS Beagle.
Voyage of the Beagle and the Influence of Lyell
• Primary mission of the voyage is to chart poorly known

stretches of South America coastline
• Darwin observed and collected thousands of plants and
animals
• Noted organisms special features that enabled it to survive
diverse environments
• Associated species of plants and animals in South America’s temperate and tropical
regions as more closely related species than species of the temperate regions of Europe
• Fossils found in South America resemble living species in that same region
• Saw fossils of aquatic organisms in the Andes (mountain region), and accounted its
presence through many earthquakes that may have
happened. These observations affirmed his learning from
Lyell’s Principle of Geology.
• The voyage reached Galapagos where he observed
finches. There were finches unique to the island while there
were others that resembled the mainland species. This
helped him hypothesize that the Galapagos was colonized
by species from the mainland South America then diversified
giving rise to different species (on different islands).
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442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
• Along the way, he read the first volume of a new and popular
book, Charles Lyell’s Principles of Geology which gave Darwin’
insights into the geologic history of the Earth. Lyell was a
proponent of what became known as the theory of uniformity,
the idea that gradual, repetitive change had shaped the earth.
• By Lyell’s calculations, it must have taken millions of years to
sculpt the earth’s surface. Darwin’s exposure to Lyell’s ideas
gave him insights into the geologic history of the regions he
would encounter in his journey. If it took millions of years for the
earth to be sculpted, the same can be said for species to
evolve, at least for Darwin.
Influence of Malthusian Theory
https://geographicbook.com/the-neo-malthusian-theory/
• After Darwin returned to England, he pondered his
notes and fossils, and read an essay by one of his
contemporaries, economist Thomas Malthus.
• Malthus had correlated increases in the size of
human populations with episodes of famine, disease,
and war. He proposed the idea that humans run out
of food, living space, and other resources because
they tend to reproduce beyond the capacity of
their environment to sustain them. When that
happens, the individuals of a population must either compete with one another for the
limited resources or develop new technologies to increase productivity.
• Darwin realized that Malthus’ ideas had wider application: All populations, not just human
ones, must have the capacity to reproduce more individuals than their environment can
support which leads to limited resources and competition. Organisms with the best
adaptive trait in a limited environment will be more likely to survive, hence, the phrase
“survival of the fittest.” Organisms with an adaptive form of a trait produce more offspring
than those that do not, then the frequency of that form will tend to increase in population
over successive generations.
Alfred Wallace
• Darwin wrote out his ideas about natural selection but let
ten years pass without publishing them.
• In the meantime, Alfred Wallace, who had been studying
wildlife in the Amazon basin and the Malay archipelago,
wrote an essay and sent it to Darwin for advice.
Wallace’s essay outlined evolution by natural selection –
the very same theory as Darwin’s. Wallace had written
earlier letters to Darwin and Lyell about the patterns in the
geographic distribution of specifies and had come to the
same conclusion.
• The theory of evolution by natural selection was
presented in 1858 at a scientific meeting which Wallace
did not know and Darwin did not attend. Both of them
were credited as authors.
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
EVOLUTION BY NATURAL SELECTION
Darwin did not use the word evolution. Instead, he thought of the idea of descent with
modification, which was caused by natural selection. For evolution by natural selection to
occur, the following must be present.
A. Variation: For evolution to occur, first, there should be a difference in terms of

characteristics (phenotype) which cause different forms of fitness in an environment.
B. Inheritance: The characteristics must be passed down from the parent to the next
generation for the evolutionary process to continue.
C. Natural Selection: The organisms with the best traits to adapt will be most likely to produce
offspring than their competitors (it’s as if nature is favoring the organisms with the best trait
to survive).
GENETIC DRIFT
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-biology/natural-selection/population-genetics/a/genetic-drift-founder-bottleneck
In the natural world, the species that survive in an

environment are NOT always due to natural
selection. Some survived by chance. This is called
genetic drift. For a genetic drift to happen, there
must be a phenomenon that leads to a drastic
reduction in population size called bottleneck. For
example, northern elephant seals underwent
bottleneck during late 1890s, when hunting
reduced their population size to about twenty
individuals. Hunting restrictions have since
allowed the population to recover, but genetic
diversity among its members has been greatly
reduced. The small surviving group establishes a
new population with reduced genetic variation.
This outcome is called the founder effect.
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION
A. Fossil Evidence
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-biology/natural-selection/common-ancestry-and-continuing-
Fossils are the preserved
remains of previously living
organisms or their traces,
dating from the distant past.
evolution/a/evidence-for-evolution
Fossils document the existence
of now-extinct species,
showing that different
organisms have lived on Earth
during different periods of the
planet's history. They can also
help scientists reconstruct the
evolutionary histories of
present-day species.
For instance, some of the best-

studied fossils are of the horse
lineage. Using these fossils,
scientists have been able to reconstruct a large, branching "family tree" for horses and their
now-extinct relatives. Changes in the lineage leading to modern-day horses, such as the
reduction of toed feet to hooves, may reflect adaptation to changes in the environment.
B. Anatomical Evidence
There are similarities in terms of
https://openstax.org/books/concepts-biology/pages/11-3-evidence-of-evolution
the bodily structures of
different organisms.
If two or more species share a

unique physical feature, such
as a complex bone structure or
a body plan, they may all
have inherited this feature
from a common ancestor.
Physical features shared due
to evolutionary history (a
common ancestor) are said to
be homologous.
To give one classic example, the forelimbs of whales, humans, and birds look quite different
on the outside. That's because they're adapted to function in different environments.
However, if you look at the bone structure of the forelimbs, you'll find that the organization of
the bones is remarkably similar across species. It's unlikely that such similar structures would
have evolved independently in each species, and more likely that the basic layout of bones
was already present in a common ancestor of whales, humans, and birds.
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
C. Biogeographical Evidence
The distribution of species on Earth provides evidence that informs our understanding of both
the evolution of life and the movement of continents across the globe via plate tectonics.
For example, marsupial mammals
https://evolution.berkeley.edu/lines-of-evidence/distribution-in-time-and-space/biogeography/
(those with pouches such as the
koala and kangaroos) are found in
the Americas as well as Australia and
New Guinea (shown in brown on the
map). The question is how did they
end up in such distant locations and
nowhere in between? They are not
able to swim across the Pacific
Ocean, nor have they been
discovered wandering Asia or Africa;
there appear to be no routes of
migration between the Australian
and American populations. How did
marsupials get from their place of
origin (in North America) to locations
half a world away?
The fossil record and record of past continental positions provide the answer. Fossils of
marsupials have been found in Antarctica as well as in South America and Australia. This and
many other lines of evidence suggest that all the continents we know today were once part
of a single landmass called Pangaea. This video shows Pangaea splitting apart 200 to 90
million years ago. Marsupials didn’t need a migration route from one part of the world to
another; they rode the continents to their present positions and continued to diversify and
move around on those separate continents. And then the fossil record shows that the North
American opossum then migrated from South America more recently, perhaps as recently as
one million years ago.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_universal_common_ancestor#/media/File:Phylogenetic_tree_of_life_1990_LUCA.svg
D. Biochemical Evidence
There are also similarities in

terms of the molecular
structure of organisms that
can be used as an
evidence for evolution.
When you think of
evolution, you will probably
imagine a diagram
showing that all organisms
have descended to one
common ancestor. This is
because all living organisms
have genes made up of DNA. This genetic similarity influences the anatomical, physical, and
behavioral similarities among organisms.
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
EXAMPLES OF RECENT EVOLUTION IN HUMANS
A. Drinking milk as adults

• All mammals (besides humans) stop producing
lactase after weaning.
• Lactase is needed to breakdown lactose (milk
sugar) in the body.
• This means that they will no longer be able to
digest milk when they get older.
• Scientists have discovered a mutation that first
appeared on the plains of Hungary about
7,500 years ago, that allowed some humans to
digest milk into adulthood.
• The ability to digest protein-rich, calorie-dense,
dairy products was a definite evolutionary
advantage.
• We still see evidence of this genetic change
today, in the fact that ~ 75% of humans are
lactose intolerant.
B. Disease Resistance (e.g., HIV Infection)

• About 10% of Europeans have a genetic
mutation that protects them from HIV
infection.
• This genetic mutation (known as CCR5-Ä32)
prevents the virus from entering the cells.
C. Blue Eyes (a Mutation)

• New research shows that people with blue
eyes have a single, common ancestor.
• Scientists have tracked down a genetic
mutation which took place 6,000-10,000 years
ago and is the cause of the eye color of all
blue-eyed people.
• Originally, everyone had brown eyes. There
was a genetic mutation in the OCA2 gene
that adds melanin (pigmentation) to our eyes
that essentially turned the gene off. This
caused a decrease in the melanin of the eye,
thus turning blue. Green-eyed people have
less melanin than brown eyes, but more that
blue-eyes.
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
D. Vestigial Organs (Residual Parts/No Function)
1. Wisdom Teeth
• 25 % of humans today are born without
wisdom teeth.
• A few thousand years ago, a mutation
popped up that prevented wisdom teeth
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/vestigial-organs/
from growing at all.
• Humans stopped needing wisdom teeth after
humans begin cooking food and developed
agriculture thousands of years ago.
• This switch to softer foods, decreased the size
of our jaw muscles.
• Cave men would wear out their molars and
have room for the wisdom teeth to replace
them.
• Most people don’t have room for them.
2. Appendix
• Our appendix was used to secrete digestive enzymes that were needed to break-
down our previous diet of cellulose-rich plants.
• Humans today have more easily-digestible food so appendix is rarely or not used.
3. Arrector Pili (goose bumps)

• Goose bumps really serve no purpose to modern humans, but when we were much
harrier, they probably served the same function that the arrector pili serve in other
mammals.
• The pili contract involuntarily when the mammal is either cold or feels threatened. This
acts to keep the animal warm and to increase the size of its appearance to ward off
danger.
4. Vestigial Tails
• Your coccyx, better known as your tailbone, is the very last part of your vertebrae, and
is the remnant of a lost tail. We all have a tail bone
• Most people know that. But did you know that you also carry genes that encode for a
tail too? In the vast majority of people, these genes are essentially turned off by
epigenetic factors. These genes, on occasion get "turned back on" and we get babies
born with a tail-like appendage.
• Usually, surgery is performed in infancy to remove the unneeded tail.
REFERENCES:
Cuarto, C., Baltazar, R., and Leonor, J. (2016). Conceptual Science and Beyond. Brilliant Creations Publishing,
Inc., Quezon City
Religioso, T. and Vengco, L. (2016). Earth and Life Science. Phoenix Publishing House. Quezon City
Mangali, G. and Oliva, M. (2016). Earth and Life Science. DIWA Learning Systems Inc., Makati City
Olivar II, J. and Ramos, A. C. (2016). Exploring Life Through Science. Phoenix Publishing House. Quezon City
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-biology/natural-selection/common-ancestry-and-continuing-
evolution/a/evidence-for-evolution
https://evolution.berkeley.edu/lines-of-evidence/distribution-in-time-and-space/biogeography/

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Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600

Earth and Life Science

SCIENTISTS THAT INFLUENCED DARWIN

G. Jean Baptiste de Lamarck

Voyage of the Beagle and the Influence of Lyell

• Primary mission of the voyage is to chart poorly known

Influence of Malthusian Theory

EVOLUTION BY NATURAL SELECTION

A. Variation: For evolution to occur, first, there should be a difference in terms of

In the natural world, the species that survive in an

For instance, some of the best-

There are similarities in terms of

If two or more species share a

For example, marsupial mammals

There are also similarities in

EXAMPLES OF RECENT EVOLUTION IN HUMANS

A. Drinking milk as adults

B. Disease Resistance (e.g., HIV Infection)

C. Blue Eyes (a Mutation)

D. Vestigial Organs (Residual Parts/No Function)

3. Arrector Pili (goose bumps)

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