Evolution

Evolution

Change over time

Process by which modern
organisms have descended
from ancient organisms
Charles Darwin
Born in England 1809
Set sail on H.M.S. Beagle in
1831 for voyage around the
world
Made numerous observations and
collected evidence that led him to
propose the theory of evolution
how life changes over time
Darwins Voyage
Darwins Observations
Observed a tremendous
amount of diversity in plants and
animals
68 different beetle species in
one day in a Brazilian forest
Plants and animals well suited
to whatever environment they
inhabited
Darwins Observations
Intrigued by which organisms
survived and produced offspring
Collected fossils that
resembled organisms that were
still alive
Most influenced by Galapagos
Islands
Galapagos Islands
Very different
climates on each
island
Paid particular
attention to giant
tortoises, marine
iguanas, and finches
Organisms varied in
predictable ways
from one island to
another
ie. Tortoise shells
Galapagos Islands
Darwin proposed that animals
living on different islands had once
been members of the same species
Species would have evolved from
an original South American
ancestor species after becoming
isolated from one another
Galapagos Tortoises

Pinta Island
Intermediate shell

Hood Island
Saddle-backed shell

Isabela Island
Dome-shaped shell
 Darwins Influences
Society was not receptive to Darwins
radical ideas
Certain scientists who preceded
Darwin helped to shape his views
 Huttons Theory
Huttons Theory of Geological Change
James Hutton (1795) a geologist
Rocks, mountains, and valleys are
shaped by a variety of natural forces
i.e. Rain, heat, & cold temperatures
Geological processes operate extremely
slowly therefore Earth had to be much
older than a few thousand years old
 Lyells Principles
Lyells Principles of Geology
Charles Lyell (1833) geologist
The Processes that changed Earth
in the past are the same processes
that operate in the present
Scientists recognize that Earth is
many millions of years old
Movement of Earths Crust
Sea
level

Sea
level

Sedimentary When part of Earths As the surface New sediment is

rocks form in crust is compressed, erodes due to water, then deposited
horizontal layers. a bend in a rock wind, waves, or above the exposed
forms, tilting the rock glaciers, the older older rock surface.
layers. rock surface is
exposed.
 Lamarcks Theory of
Evolution
Jean Baptiste Lamarck French
naturalist (1809)
proposed that by selective use or
disuse of organs, organisms acquired
or lost certain traits during their lifetime.
These traits could be passed on to their
offspring.
Led to changes in species
 Tendency Toward
Perfection
All organisms have a innate
tendency toward perfection
Ancestors of birds acquired an urge
to fly,
Birds kept trying to fly,
Their wings increased in size,
Birds are now suited to flying
 Use and Disuse
Organisms could alter the size or
shape of particular organs by
using their bodies in new ways
Birds try to use front limbs to fly,
they grew wings
If a winged animal did not use its
wings they would decrease in size
and disappear
 Inheritance of Acquired
Traits
Lamarck thought acquired
characteristics could be
inherited.
If you spent your life lifting
weights to build muscles then
your children would inherit big
muscles, too.
Crab Claws
 Evaluating Lamarck
Lamarcks theory of evolution is incorrect
because:
He did not know how traits are inherited.
Behavior has no effect on genetics
He was the first:
to develop a theory of evolution
First to realize that groups of organisms
do adapt to their environment
 Population Growth
Thomas Malthus (1798) English Economist
Observed that babies were being born faster
than people were dying.
Malthus reasoned that if the human population
continued to grow unchecked, sooner or later
there would be insufficient living space and food
for everyone.
Proposed that war, famine, and disease limit
the growth of human populations.
When is a Fin a Wing?
Animal Group Example Legs Fins Tail
Mammal

Bird

Fish

Amphibian

Reptile

Insect
Darwin Presents His Case
Publication of On the Origin of Species
* Darwins discoveries went totally
against the scientific ideas of the
1800s
* He did not publish his research until
he read Alfred Russel Wallaces
essay, which summarized Darwins
thoughts on evolution.
* Published 25 years after his trip
 Natural variation and
artificial selection
Darwins critics believed that all
species were perfect and unchanging
Natural variation: differences among
individuals of a species, found in all types
of organisms.
Darwin proposed that much of the
variation in populations can be inherited,
or passed on to the next generation
 Artificial Selection
Darwin actually made some of his
greatest progress studying English
farmers and breeders
Artificial selection: nature
provides variation among different
organisms, humans select and
breed for those variations that they
find useful.
Artificial Selection
 Evolution by Natural
Selection
* The struggle for existence
* Competition for resources
* Food, water, shelter, mates,
etc.
 Survival of the Fittest
The better suited an organism is to its
environment, the better chance it has at
surviving
The ability of an individual to survive and
reproduce in its specific environment
fitness
The inherited characteristics that increase
an organisms chance of survival -
adaptation
 Descent With
Modification
Over time, natural selection has
produced species that are
different than their ancestors
Looking backwards in time you
should find the common ancestor
of all living things common
descent
Darwins
Tree of
Life
Tree of Life
Evidence of Evolution
Fossil Record
Darwin believed that life on Earth
has been evolving for millions of
years
Darwin saw the fossil record as
a detailed record of life on
Earth
Evidence of Evolution
Geographic Distribution of
Living Species
Darwin found that organisms living
under similar ecological conditions
end up evolving similarities without
being related Convergent
Evolution
Ex Fish and whales
 Evidence of Evolution
Homologous Body structures
* The limbs of birds, reptiles, and
mammals may have different looks but
they form from the same embryonic
tissue Divergent Evolution
* Similarities of Early Development
* Animals have similar embryological
development
 Homologous Structures

Turtle Alligator Bird Mammals

Typical primitive fish

Embryonic Development
 Summary of Darwins
Theory
1. Variations are inherited
2. In nature, tendency towards
overpopulation
3. Not all organisms survive
compete for resources
4. Natural Selection struggle
for existence
Summary of Darwins
Theory
5. Individuals best suited to their
environment survive and reproduce
most successfully
6. Species change over time
7. Populations today come from
modifications of species of the past
8. All organisms are united into a single
tree of life by common decent