Name _________________________________________________ Date ________________________ Period _________
INTRODUCTION TO EVOLUTION SCAVENGER HUNT
Directions: Your teacher will start you off on your scavenger hunt in her room, after you have completed the first
poster/section she will give you a clue to lead you to your destination. Each clue you will study a poster and answer the
questions for that poster. You must stay with your group and follow all school rules while in the hallway. Complaints
from neighboring teachers or wandering may result in a referral and a zero for this assignment.
YOU MUST REPORT BACK TO YOUR TEACHER’S CLASSROOM BY _____________ OR YOU WILL BE TRUANT.
1. Evidence of Evolution helps support the theory that all organisms have descended from a __________________.
 You will now investigate the history of the Earth and Evidence for Evolution to investigate and analyze this
theory.
HISTORY OF EARTH POSTER:
1. According to this geological time scale, Which geologic time period was the longest? __________How long? ___
2. According to the time scale, near the end of which era did the dinosaurs become extinct? __________________
3. According to the time scale, describe the most recent geologic event to occur?
4. Describe what type of environment early forms of life survived within?
5. Was there oxygen present during the Silurian Period? ________________________ How did you come to this
conclusion? ____________________________
6. According to the time scale, how many years ago did the extinction of the dinosaurs occur? _________________
EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION: FOSSIL RECORD POSTER
SEDIMENT POSTER:
1. According to the Law of Superposition, Which rock layer is the oldest? _______________________
2. According to the Law of Superposition, Which rock layer is the youngest? _______________________
3. Which layer has the oldest fossils? _________________________
4. Which layer has the youngest fossils? ___________________________
5. A. Fossils found in layer C are circle one ( older
or
younger) than fossils found in layers D and E.
B. Fossils found in layer C are circle one ( older
or
younger) than fossils found in layers A and B.
FOSSILS OF HORSE POSTER:
1. Studying the figure of horse fossils, describe what happened to the size of the horse? ______________________
2. The earliest horse had circle one (one
or
many) toes.
3. How many toes does a modern horse have? ___________________________ What is it called? (use your own
experience to answer) _______________________________.
EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION: BIOGEOGRAPHY POSTER
Biogeography is the study of how species are distributed spatially across the landscape (geographically). How species are
distributed provides evidence for evolution. The distribution of many species does not make sense, unless they shared a
common ancestor. For example, if species were static (unchanging), then you would expect to find the same species in
areas with similar environmental conditions around the world. Evolutionary theory, however, predicts that modern
species should be found close to where their ancestors were, regardless of the environmental conditions.
Using the above knowledge, answer the following questions using the poster.
1. Which island is most likely to have been colonized first and which last? (You will need to analyze map 1) Tell why
you think so.
2. Where did the common ancestors of the Canary Islands probably originate from? (use map 1 to answer)
3. Does the presence of four morphologically different populations ofG. galloti on the four westernmost islands
(Map 2) imply continuing evolution? Be sure to explain why.
4. Which island is more likely to resemble their common ancestor from Africa? Why?
5. Which island will have more species diversity? Why?
EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION: COMPARATIVE EMBRYOLOGY POSTER
1. What is an embryo? ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
2. The adult forms of these organisms look very circle one ( similar
3. The earliest embryos look very circle one ( similar
or
or
different
different
).
).
4. From observations of these embryos, Which organisms are MOST closely related?
a. Chickens and Humans
b. Pigs and Humans
c. Fish and Pigs
d. Turtles and Pigs
5. From observations of these embryos, Which organisms are LEAST closely related?
a. Fish and Turtles
b. Fish and Humans
c. Pigs and Chickens
d. Pigs and Humans
6. Embryos that are MOST alike are those that are the circle one
(
most
7. Embryos that are LEAST alike are those that are the circle one ( most
or
least
) closely related.
or
least
) closely related.
EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION: COMPARATIVE ANATOMY POSTER
1. Define the following:
a. HOMOLOGOUS STRUCTURE: _____________________________________________________________
b. ANALOGOUS STRUCTURE: _______________________________________________________________
c. VESTIGIAL STRUCTURE: _________________________________________________________________
2. Refer to Figure C. Are these structures in Figure C homologous or analogous structures? Explain your reasoning
using complete sentences.
3. Refer to Figure C. What is the function of these skeletal structures?
4. Refer to Figure C. Anatomy shows that these animals circle one ( Do
or
Do Not ) have a common ancestor.
5. Refer to Figure D. Are these structures in Figure D homologous or analogous structures? Explain your reasoning
using complete sentences.
6. Refer to Figure D. What is the function of these skeletal structures? How is a bird wing different structurally
than a bee wing?
7. Refer to Figure D. Anatomy shows that these animals circle one ( Do
or
8. Refer to Figure D. Anatomy shows that birds and bees are
distant
9. Refer to Figure D. Birds and bees
circle one (
did or
circle one (
Do Not ) have a common ancestor.
or
close ) relatives.
did not ) develop along the same evolutionary “branch”.
10. Refer to Figure E. Explain how a vestigial structure is evidence for evolution?
11. Refer to Figure E. Why might a whale have a pelvis and femur in its skeletal structure? Explain your answer.
EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION: COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY POSTER
1. Using the Hemoglobin Chart, Compile these amino acid differences in Table below:
Table: amino acid difference between humans/species pairs
Organisms
Human/ chimpanzee
Human/ gorilla
Human/ rhesus monkey
Human/ horse
Human/ kangaroo
Number of Amino
Acid Differences
Positions in which
they vary
0
1
104
2. If the amino acid sequences in homologous proteins of two organisms are similar, what can you conclude about
the DNA of the two organisms? __________________________________________________________________
3. In humans and gorillas there is a difference of only one amino acid in one chain of hemoglobin. Give a possible
explanation for this.
4. Using the hemoglobin data you collected, which organisms appear most closely related to humans? __________
Which appear to be least related to humans? _____________________