CE6702

Evolution - An Introduction
Dr. A S Maurya
Department of Earth Sciences, IITR
Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach. Copyright 2006 President and Fellows of Harvard College.
All Images and associat ed captions court esy of the UC Museum of Paleont ology Understanding Evolution:
htt p://evolution.berkeley.edu.
In a Nutshell…
• What is Evolution?
• What are some
examples of Evolution?
CLADOGRAM
Image courtesy of http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/evo_03
Life Sciences-HHMI
Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach.
Ou treach. Copyright2006
Copyright 2006 President
President andand
Fellows of Harvard
Fellows College. Co llege.
of Harvard
• The Fact of Evolution
– Evolution-the progressive change of organisms as they
descend from ancestral species-is a fact. By now, the
evidence for it is overwhelming and ubiquitous.
• It is of such obvious clinical significance in medicine that to
deny it is irresponsible.
• That said, any explanation for its existence and mode of action
is a scientific theory, which must be testable and, in theory,
falsifiable.
• Darwin’s theory of natural selection, combined with other
mechanisms of evolution discovered since Darwin, form what
is known as the “modern synthesis”, the current scientific
paradigm in the biological sciences.
– It provides a central explanation for phenomena in such diverse fields as
paleontology and developmental biology, medicine and psychology.
– The existence of evolution has been proposed several times in
history. For instance, the ancient Greek scientist, Animaxander,
proposed a theory of evolution.
– In terms of modern science, it was first advanced proposed in the
late 1700’s and early 1800s by several scientists including Compte
de Buffon and Erasmus Darwin.
– The idea of evolution remained controversial for a long time,
partially because it ran contrary to contemporary religious ideas
and partially because no mechanism for evolution was known.
– Darwin and Wallace’s theory of evolution by natural selection was
the first plausible, widely-accepted mechanism for evolutionary
change.
– By now it is well-tested, supported by hundreds of independent
scientific investigations.
– It is also falsifiable-aspects of Darwin’s theory of evolution have
been successfully challenged, others supported. This is the case
for the other mechanisms of evolution as well.
Examples of the clinical significance of
evolutionary biology to medicine
• HIV. HIV is a retrovirus of enormous medical concern. Because
of evolutionary studies, we know that two separate lineages of this
retrovirus passed into the human population from African Apes in
the mid 20th century.
• This knowledge has alerted us to the danger of emergent diseases
from other animal hosts, a reason for our concern about SARS
and bird flu.
• In addition, it is an understanding of evolutionary biology that has
enabled us to develop a therapy for HIV.
• The so-called “triple therapy” HIV treatment is an example of
evolutionary medicine.
– A single drug will not work against the disease because the virus evolves so
quickly, it attains resistance to every drug we have within a few months.
– By using three drugs simultaneously, we subvert the evolution of the
virus…evolving resistance to one drug means loosing resistance to another.
• Look at the
cladogram at the
right. What
conclusions can be
drawn about the
relationship
between humans
and chimps?

How to read a Cladogram
• This diagram shows a relationship
between 4 relatives. These
relatives share a common ancestor
at the root of the tree.
• Note that this diagram is also a
timeline. The older organism is at
the bottom of the tree.
• The four descendents at the top of
the tree are DIFFERENT species.
This is called SPECIATION.

• Branches on the tree
represent
SPECIATION, the
formation of a new
species.
• The event that causes
the speciation is
shown as the fork of
the “V”.
• Species B and C each
have characteristics
that are unique only to
them.
• But they also share
some part of their
history with species A.
This shared history is
the common ancestor.
Write a sentence that summarizes the
relationship between A and B. What is the
only thing A and B have in common?

• A CLADE is a group
of organisms that
come from a common
ancestor.
• If you cut a branch of
the tree, you could
remove all the
organisms that make
up a CLADE.
Let’s go back to this diagram. Something to Ponder…
Did humans evolve

from chimps? NO
What familial
relationship is a good
DISTANT description of the
COUSINS relationship between
chimps and humans?
Look at your original NO- since the

Are humans more lineage is split,
description of this picture. Has
your understanding of this highly evolved than each species
chimps? has evolved
diagram changed? How?
unique traits.
What is Going On?
The tree is getting larger. Did the tree evolve?
Life Sciences-HHMI
Life Sciences-HHMI Outreach.
Ou treach. Copyright2006
Copyright 2006 President
President andand
Fellows of Harvard
Fellows College. Co llege.
of Harvard
• Biological evolution is NOT just a change over
time.
• The definition of evolution is
Descent with Modification
Some sort of change within a lineage.
QuickTime™ and a QuickTime™ and a

TIFF (L ZW) d eco mpre ssor TIFF (LZW ) decompressor .
are nee ded to s ee this picture . are needed to see this picture.
Change with Change with

inheritance over a inheritance over a long
small period of time. period of time.
Images courtesy of http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/evo_02
• Biological evolution is NOT just a change over
time.
• The definition of evolution is
Some sort of change within a lineage.
QuickTime™ and a QuickTime™ and a

TIFF (L ZW) d eco mpre ssor TIFF (LZW ) decompressor
are nee ded to s ee this picture . are needed to see this picture.
Change with Change with

inheritance over a inheritance over a long
small period of time. period of time.
But what is this change?
GENETICS
Image courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sky_spectral_karyotype.gif
• So, we can change our
definition of evolution
from
DESCENT WITH
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (LZW) decompressor
are needed to see this picture. MODIFICATION
to
DESCENT THROUGH
GENETIC
INHERITANCE
Image courtesy of http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/_0_0/evo_20
Mechanisms of Evolution
• How does evolution work?
• What are the selective forces that cause
evolution to occur?
• How can we get genetically DIFFERENT
organisms that come from the SAME
common ancestor?
• Recall, there needs to be some long term
change of the gene frequency over time.
There are more beetles in the

Which of population that have genes for
these is B green color. Years later, there are
A
more brown beetles than green
ones.
evolution?
Drought causes a decrease

in food. This causes a B-These two generations are genetically different.
decrease in beetle size.
Image courtesy of http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/_0_0/evo_15
Genetic Variation
Gene Flow Mutation

Movement of genes
from one population to Sex Changes in DNA
another. Sexual reproduction
causes new
combinations of genes.
Images courtesy of http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/_0_0/

Mutations
Causes:
1. DNA copying error
Mutations are
RANDOM
2 Types: 2. Environment
Somatic-not in
gametes so they are Cause Imperfect
not heritable. DNA repair
breakdown
Germ-found in
gametes so they are
heritable. Image courtesy of http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/_0_0
Genetic Drift
• Suppose that some organism left behind a
few more offspring than other organisms.
• The ones that are left are the “lucky” ones.
But their genes may be no more
advantageous than anyone else’s.
• Entirely random.
• Doesn’t produce adaptations, only a mixing
of the gene pool.
Natural Selection
• Natural selection is the

process by which individual
organisms with favorable traits
are more likely to survive
and reproduce.
Components of Natural Selection
• There is more
than one
representation
of a trait.
Green and Brown Beetles
Image courtesy of http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/_0_0

• Not all individuals
will be able to
reproduce.
• Due to environmental
Birds eat green
issues, illness, etc… beetles, not
brown ones.
• DIFFERENTIAL
REPRODUCTION
What’s
What’s the end
Left? result?

The brown beetles

that are left will
The brown mate and have
trait has a brown offspring.
genetic
basis.
This is called
HEREDITY.
• Finally, the brown trait
(which is more
advantageous) allows the
beetle to survive in order
to reproduce.
• Eventually, all beetles in

this population will be
brown.
• This PHENOTYPE has

been SELECTED over the
green phenotype.

Natural Selection
•Populations are not perfect.

Charles Darwin, 1880 •It is not the result of wanting
*public domain
or needing something.
•There are no goals associated
with the end result. Somewhat
random.
Examples of Natural Selection
Non-poisonous king
Orchids fool
wasps into snakes mimic
“mating” with poisonous coral
them. snakes.
Katydids have
camouflage to look
like leaves
Images courtesy of http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article//evo_26

Summary
Descent with modification Descent through Genetic Inheritance
EVOLUTION
Mutations Gene Flow Sex Natural Selection Genetic Drift
change in DNA movement of genes causes genetic shuffling 1. genetic variation lucky ones get left behind
2. differential reproduction
3. Heredity
causes genetic variation Charles Darwin

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Evolution - An Introduction

Image courtesy of http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/evo_05

Image courtesy of http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/evo_05

Image courtesy of http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/evo_05

Did humans evolve

Look at your original NO- since the

The tree is getting larger. Did the tree evolve?

QuickTime™ and a QuickTime™ and a

Change with Change with

Images courtesy of http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/evo_02

QuickTime™ and a QuickTime™ and a

Change with Change with

There are more beetles in the

these is B green color. Years later, there are

Drought causes a decrease

Gene Flow Mutation

Images courtesy of http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/_0_0/

• Natural selection is the

Image courtesy of http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/_0_0

Image courtesy of http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/_0_0

The brown beetles

• Eventually, all beetles in

• This PHENOTYPE has

Image courtesy of http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/_0_0

•Populations are not perfect.

Images courtesy of http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article//evo_26

Mutations Gene Flow Sex Natural Selection Genetic Drift

causes genetic variation Charles Darwin

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