Evidences of

Evolution
Explain how fossil records, comparative
anatomy, and genetic information provide
evidence for evolution (S10LT-IIIf-39)
 Evolution
• Evolution is defined as a
change in the genetic
composition of a population
over successive generations
• Evolution is a change in the
number of times specific
genes that code for specific
characteristics occur within
an interbreeding
population
• Individuals don’t evolve,
populations do
• There is no implied
“improvement” in evolution
Evidences of Evolution
1.Fossil Records
2.Comparative Anatomy
3.Embryonic Development
4.Genetic Information
 1. Fossil Records
• Fossils are examples of evidences that
palaeontologists use in studying evolution.
• Palaeontologist is a person who studies fossils.
• They are traces of organisms that lived in the
past and were preserved by natural process or
catastrophic events.
• They can be remains of organisms which
include bones, shells, teeth and also feces
embedded in rocks, peat, resin, and ice.
 1. Fossil Records
• Most fossils were commonly
found in sedimentary rocks.
• They were from the hard parts
of the organism like woody
stem, bones, or teeth.
 1. Fossil Records

• Imprints/Impression
• shallow external molds left by animal or
plant tissues with little or no organic
materials present

• Compression
• the other side with more organic material
DETERMINING
THE AGE OF Youngest fossil

FOSSILS
Relative dating
- It determines which of
the two fossils is older. Oldest Fossil
- The age of rocks is
compared to other rock
layers
 Determining the age of
fossils
• Radioactive dating
- Scientists determine the actual age of a
sample based in the amount of
remaining radioactive isotopes it
contains.
- Radioactive Carbon-14 which is
present in rock when the organisms die
 Perform Activity 1a:
Where do I Belong?
1. Which is assumed to be the
oldest organism? Why do you
think so? What is the probable
age of the fossil?
2. In what era can you possibly
find the most recent fossil?
Why do you say so?
3. Do you think there are
organisms that lived during the
Cambrian Period? Explain.
4. When do you think did the
present-day humans first
appeared on earth?
5. Describe how organisms are
arranged in the table?
 Perform Activity 1b:
What’s my age?

Scientists determine the age of

fossils by checking the amount
of radioactive carbon-14 in the
fossil. Carbon-14 breaks down
or decays to form Nitrogen-14.
Rate is 5,730 years.

1. What is the oldest fossil

2. Why is it important to
know the age of the
fossil?
 Geologic
Time Scale
 2. Comparative
Anatomy
- Study of the similarities and
differences in the structures
of different species
- Types of structures
- Homologous
- Analogous
- Vestigial
 2. Comparative
Anatomy
Homologous Structure
- Structures from different
species which have similar
internal framework, position, and
embryonic development
- may perform different functions
in the species living in a different
environment, or it may have the
same origin but different
functions.
2. Comparative
Anatomy

Homologous
Structure
 2. Comparative
Anatomy
Analogous Structure
• Structures of unrelated
species may evolve to look
alike, because the structure is
adapted to similar function.
• have similar functions but
different origin
2. Comparative
Anatomy

Analogous
Structure
 2. Comparative
Anatomy
Vestigial Structure
• Body parts that are useless
or left over from a
previous ancestor in
which they are useful
Activity 2: AHA! Analogous!
Homologous!

1. Can you say that human,

whale and bat might
belong to a common
ancestral group? Explain.
2. Give other examples of
homologous structures.
 3. Evidences from
Embryonic Development

Embryonic Development
• The portion of life just
after fertilization
• It includes stages such as
blastula, gastrula, and
organogenesis
 3. Evidences
from Embryonic
Development

• Embryonic
Development
 Activity 3: So,
Who is My
Relative?
1. In what stages of development
of the organisms in the picture
show similarities?
2. Identify the structure, how and
where are they similar?
3. In stage 3, identify the
structures that made the
organisms different from each
other?
4. Can embryonic development be
an evidence that evolution took
place? Explain.
 4. Genetic
Information

- Small mutations or
changes in the DNA
eventually lead to the
evolution of new
species
 4. Genetic
Information
- The organisms which
are similar in structure
and also possess
similarity at the
biochemical level could
probably have a
common ancestor
 4. Genetic
Information

- The greater the

similarity in amino
acid sequence, the
closer the
relationship of the
organisms.
Activity 4: Let’s Compare
Supply the missing amino acid sequence to
complete the table
Supply the missing amino acid sequence to
complete the table
Complete the table to show the number of
amino acid differences and the position
which they vary.
 Plot the information from
the last table and use
different colors to represent
each pairing of species

1. Based on the activity, which

organism is closely related to
humans?
2. Which organism is least related to
humans?
3. If the amino acid sequence of the
two organisms are similar, would
their DNA be also similar? Why?
4. Do you think the chimpanzee,
gorilla, and humans have common
ancestry? Explain your answer.
 Summary:
1. (Fossils, Evolution) are traces of organisms that lived in the past and were preserved by natural process or
catastrophic events.
2. Most fossils were commonly found in (Igneous, sedimentary) rocks.
3. (Impression, Compression) are shallow external molds left by animal or plant tissues with little or no
organic materials present.
4. A person who studies fossils is a (meteorologist, paleontologist).
5. (Analogous, Homologous) perform different functions in the species living in a different environment.
6. Structures of unrelated species may evolve to look alike. This is called (analogous, homologous).
7. Dinosaurs or giant reptiles ruled the earth during the Jurassic period under (Cenozoic, Mesozoic)
8. (Divergent, Convergent) evolution is the splitting of an ancestral population into two or more sub
populations that are geographically isolated from one another.
9. Popular Theory of Evolution was proposed by (Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein)
10. An early stage of development in organisms is what we called (embryo, fetus)