Evolution: Isn't Evolution Just a Theory?
Keystone Anchors
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BIO.B.3.1.1 Explain how natural selection can impact allele
frequencies of a population.
BIO.B.3.1.2 Describe the factors that can contribute to the
development of new species (e.g., isolating mechanisms,
genetic drift, founder effect, migration).
BIO.B.3.1.3 Explain how genetic mutations may result in
genotypic and phenotypic variations within a population.
BIO.B.3.2.1 Interpret evidence supporting the theory of
evolution (i.e., fossil, anatomical, physiological, embryological,
biochemical, and universal genetic code).
EVOLUTION KEY TERMS
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Evolution
Fossil
Founder effect
Gradualism
Natural selection
Punctuated equilibrium
Speciation
Embryology
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Primate
Vestigial Structure
Catastrophism
Mutation
Uniformitarianism
Adaptation
Genetic drift
Process Box 1
What do you know about
evolution? What do you want to
know? Do you believe in
evolution? Why or why not? Write
response in 7 lines
Carolus
Linnaeus, 1735
_______________
2nd to classify
organisms based on
traits
their _________
Georges Buffon, 1749
_______________
Erasmus
Darwin, 1749 Jean-Baptiste
Lamarck, 1809
_______________
_______________
Proposed that
species shared
ancestors
________________
Proposed that more
complex life forms
less
arose from _______
complex life forms
Proposed that
changes in an
environment caused
changes in
organisms
________________
CATASTROPHISM
GRADUALISM
UNIFORMITARIANISM
CATASTROPHISM
Georges Cuvier
Theory proposed by _______________________.
Natural disasters
States that ______________________________
such as ___________
and
floods
volcanic eruptions
_______________________________
have
landforms
shaped ________________
and caused species to
become ___________________
in the process.
extinct
GRADUALISM
James Hutton
Theory proposed by ______________________.
States that the changes in landfoms resulted from
slow changes
___________________
that had occurred over a
long period of time.
UNIFORMITARIANISM
Theory proposed by ______________________.
Charles Lyell
States that the changes in geologic processes that
shape the Earth are uniform through time.
The changes have happened in the past and
_________________________________________
are ONGOING!
_________________________________________
Review
1. List four events that could cause change according to CATASTROPHISM
HURRICANES
TSUNAMIS
_____________________
_____________________
VOLCANO ERUPTIONS
EARTHQUAKES
_____________________
_____________________
*ANY NATURAL DISASTER THAT LEADS TO QUICK CHANGE*
2. What is the difference between CATASTROPHISM AND GRADULISM?
GRADUALISM-slow changes to landforms. Ex) Grand Canyon
CATASTROPHISM- instant changes to landforms. Ex) Natural Disasters
3. GRADUALISM AND UNIFORMITARIANISM are more closely related, describe
this relationship and how they differ.
UNIFORMITARIANISM is GRADUALISM that states slow changes are
CONSTANT over ALL TIME.
A cat, quick enough to snatch a bird
successfully today, might not be
speedy enough to catch the next
generation of birds, because only
the swiftest of yesterday’s birds
remain to provide offspring.
Type I: write a 5 line response to the statement
above about how it relates to evolution
TYPES OF FEET
TYPES OF BEAKS
WEBBED
FISH
CLAWED
PADDED
HOOVED
NUTS
INSECTS
FISH
COLORATION
BODY FAT AND THICK FUR
SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS
ADAPTATION ACTIVITY
_______________________
_______________________
1. It survives
_______________
2.
It passes on his traits
_______________________
1. It survives
_______________
2. It passes on its traits
_______________________
_____________________________
Principles of NS
____________________
Natural Selection-- ______________________________________
process in which something in
nature does the selecting of what will survive and
___________________________________________________________
what will not survive.
___________________________________________________________
PREDATORS
____________________________
WEATHER CONDITIONS
_________________________________________
RESOURCE SHORTAGES
_______________________________________________
DISEASE
____________________________
Adaptations = traits
______________________________
Traits = genes
______________________________
Adaptations
=
genes
______________________________
Process Box 2
Define Natural Selection.
List four different kinds of ‘Natural Selectors’
and give an example of each:
1.
2.
3.
4.
BEAN LAB RESULTS
“You do not carry your genes
around as a way of
reproducing yourself; your
genes carry you around as a
way of reproducing
themselves”
1. A CHANGE IN THE DNA CODE
2. ARE NATURAL EVENTS
3. CAN BE A SOURCE FOR NEW TRAITS
4. THESE NEW TRAITS CAN BE ADAPTATIONS
BECAUSE THEY MIGHT HELP THE
ORGANISM SURVIVE IN ITS ENVIRONMENT
BROWN COAT TO
WHITE COAT
BROWN COAT
TO WHITE COAT
__________________
__________________
The white deer is more easily seen by
predators. It will most likely not survive and
reproduce.
The brown rabbit is more
easily seen by
predators. It will most
likely not survive and
reproduce.
Size gene??
Height??
Albino gene??
What determines what a GOOD gene
is or a BAD gene???
An albino gene is BAD in a forest environment. The animal will die.
An albino gene is GOOD in a snowy environment. The animal will
flourish!!
Genetic variation in a population increases the
chance that some individuals will survive.
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Genetic variation leads to phenotypic variation.
 Phenotypic variation is necessary for natural selection.
 Genetic variation is stored in a population’s gene pool.
 made up of all alleles in a population
 allele combinations form when organisms have offspring
 Allele
frequencies measure genetic variation.
– measures how common allele is in population
– can be calculated for each allele in gene pool
Genetic variation comes from several sources

.
Mutation is a random change in the DNA of a gene
– can
form new allele
– can be passed on to
offspring if in
reproductive cells
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Recombination forms new combinations of alleles
– usually occurs during meiosis
– parents’ alleles
arranged in new
ways in gametes
Gene flow is the movement of alleles between
populations.

Gene flow occurs when
individuals join new
populations and
reproduce.
 Gene flow keeps
neighboring populations
similar.
 Low gene flow increases
the chance that two
populations will evolve
into different species.
bald eagle migration
Genetic drift is a change in allele
frequencies due to chance.
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Genetic drift causes a loss of genetic diversity.
It is most common in small populations.
A population bottleneck can lead to genetic drift.
 It occurs when an event
drastically reduces
population size.
 The bottleneck effect is
genetic drift that occurs
after a bottleneck event.
 The
founding of a small population can lead
to genetic drift.
– It occurs when a few individuals start a new population.
– The founder effect is genetic drift that occurs after start of new population.
 Genetic
drift has negative effects on a
population.
– less likely to have some individuals that can adapt
– harmful alleles can become more common due to chance
Mechanisms of evolution
Founder effect
Process Box 3
Define Genetic Variation (1 pt)
List two different factors that lend itself to genetic
variation.(2pts)
1. MUTATION
2. RECOMBINATION
List and describe two ways that genetic
frequencies change in a population over time.
(2 pts)
GENETIC DRIFT AND GENETIC FLOW
Species – A group of living things that can breed with others of the same
species and form ‘FERTILE’ offspring.
Speciation – evolution of 2 or more species from one
ancestral species
Punctuated equilibrium – theory that speciation occurs
suddenly and rapidly followed by long periods of little change
Fertile – being able to reproduce by
forming egg or sperm cells
New species are formed by:
5 Fingers of Evolution
1. Animals within the same species are_________
separated by
a__________________________
barrier, (water, mountains, etc).
a. They_________
live apart for thousands of years with
different living conditions.
_____________________
2. _______________
Natural selection takes place within the two
separate regions.
3. Individuals with the desirable traits for their
specific environment _____________________
survive and reproduce.
4. Over time the two groups can become different
species as they develop different adaptations.
_________
Process Box 4
Name at least 3 things that have to
happen in order for a new species for
originate.
1.
2.
3.
Type II
Explain speciation in a paragraph.
Include AND CIRCLE the terms: isolation,
mutation, recombination, natural selection
Bonus points
- ‘If’ any additional evolutionary terms are
included AND boxed.
- ’If’ you include any specific concepts
such as genetic flow, genetic drift,
bottleneck effect, or founder effect
1. Seed Eaters
2. Plant Eaters
3. Insect Eaters
4. Cactus Eaters
Naturalist
1. English __________________
who
wrote the
Origin of the Species
__________________________
2. Developed the
Theory of Evolution
___________________________
3. Stated that evolution is a
change
_______________
in the
hereditary
features
______________
______________
of a group of organisms over
time.
Controversy
Charles Darwin
traveled on the
HMS Beagle from
England to the
______________
Galapagos
______________
Islands
It is on these
islands that
Darwin made his
observations and
compiled
evidence of the
______________
evolutionary
______________
process.
______________
Variation
1. _______________________:
the difference in the physical traits
of an individual from those of other individuals in the group to
which it belongs.
Interspecific Variation
________________________:
Variation that occurs among
members of different species
Intraspecific Variation Variation that occurs among
________________________:
individuals of the same species.
Adaptation
2. _______________________:
The feature(s) that allow an
organism to better survive in its environment.
Adaptations can lead to genetic change in a
Population over time
_______________________________________.
1. LIVING THINGS OVERPRODUCE
2. THERE IS VARIATION AMONG OFFSPRING
3. ADAPTATION: THERE IS A STRUGGLE TO
SURVIVE, THOSE BETTER ADAPTED ARE
MORE LIKELY TO SURVIVE
4. DESCENT WITH MODIFICATION: NATURAL
SELECTION IS ALWAYS TAKING PLACELEAVING COMMON ADVANTAGEOUS TRAITS
IN POPULATION
Evolution: Why Does
Evolution Matter Now?
Process Box 5
List the four principals of Darwin’s Theory of
Evolution. (Give an example of each)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Process Box 6
What three pieces of information can you infer
from this graph?
BEAR POPULATION
Number of Bear
Brown
Bear
White
Bear
_______________________________________________________
First living
thing
HUMANS
COME
FROM
MONKEYS
NEW WORLD MONKEYS
OLD WORLD MONKEYS
•Have tails
•Some have tails
•Nostrils Point Upwards
•Nostrils Point Downwards
Hamadryas baboon
(Africa)
Prehensile tails
(spider monkeys)
Howler Monkey
Patas monkey
(Africa)
APES
•No tails
Congo Gorilla
PRIMATE
EVOLUTION
“Before Monkey”
PROSIMIANS
NEW WORLD MONKEYS
OLD WORLD MONKEYS
APES
HUMANS
40 MILLION
30 MILLION
10 MILLION
First steps
APES
AUSTRALOPITHECUS
HOMO HABILIS
Common Ancestor - Anatomy
Southern ape, Walked upright, very short.
_____________________________________
“Lucy”
Used tools, somewhat taller. Lived in Africa
_____________________________________
HOMO ERECTUS
Left Africa, fire, carnivore. Larger brain and
body
______________________
HOMO
Neanderthalensis
10 MILLION
YEARS AGO
Neanderthal
__________________________________
HOMO SAPIEN SAPIEN__________________________
Cave Drawings, This is us!
Ardi
Did humans evolve?
Homo Habilis
2.5 million years
Homo Erectus
1.5 million years
What do the differences in
the skull suggest?
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
Virtual lab – Hominoid skulls
Hominid Skulls
C
Acurate measurements are taken to compare fossils.
•A line is drawn over the eye socket from front to back of
skull
•A line is drawn under the eye socket from front to back
of skull
•A line is drawn from the highest point on the top of skull
to lower line.
B
A
Supraorbital index : Using a metric ruler,
1. Multiply the value of BC by 100 ____
2. Divide the result by AC ____
Size of Brain / Intelligence
What is the supraorbital index measuring? _____________________________
PRIMATE
EVOLUTION
“Before Monkey”
PROSIMIANS
NEW WORLD MONKEYS
OLD WORLD MONKEYS
APES
HUMANS
40 MILLION
30 MILLION
10 MILLION
PRIMATE
EVOLUTION
“Before Monkey”
PROSIMIANS
NEW WORLD MONKEYS
OLD WORLD MONKEYS
Common Ancestor of
Human and Chimpanzee
APES
HUMANS
40 MILLION
30 MILLION
10 MILLION
PRIMATE
EVOLUTION
“Before Monkey”
PROSIMIANS
NEW WORLD MONKEYS
OLD WORLD MONKEYS
Common Ancestor shared
between Hominids
APES
HUMANS
40 MILLION
30 MILLION
10 MILLION
Process Box 7
Someone tells you that they do not believe
in evolution because “people don’t come
from monkeys.” In 5 lines, explain why this
person’s thinking about evolution is
erroneous.
Creationists argue that speciation has never been seen. Here’s part of
a December 31, 2008, posting by Jonathan Wells on the Web site of
the antithetically named Discovery Institute: “Darwinism depends on
the splitting of one species into two, which then diverge and split and
diverge and split, over and over again, to produce the branching-tree
pattern required by Darwin’s theory. And this sort of speciation has
never been observed.”
The claim makes me think of the trial where a man was charged with
biting off another man’s ear in a bar fight. An eyewitness to the fracas
took the stand. The defense attorney asked, “Did you actually see with
your own eyes my client bite off the ear in question?” The witness said,
“No.” The attorney pounced: “So how can you be so sure that the
defendant actually bit off the ear?” To which the witness replied, “I saw
him spit it out.” We have the fossils, the intermediate forms, the
comparative anatomy, the genomic homologies—we’ve seen what
evolution spits out.
__Body
Comparisons__
___Fossils______________________________________________________
__Embryos_____________________
Complex
Organisms
1.
Remains of
____________________
once-living
____________________
things
____________________
Newest Layer of Rock
2.
Found in earth’s
____________________
crust within
____________________
sedimentary
____________________
rock
____________________
Oldest Layer of Rock
Simple
Organisms
Shows common traits in organisms which determine
relationships/evolution
1. Body Structure
______________________________
a. Bones: (Number of bones, Length of bones, etc)
_________________________________________
b. Skulls: (Size of, Position of, Similarities of, etc)
_________________________________________
2. Body Chemistry
_______________________________
______________
a. DNA
__________
b. Blood
Features that are similar in structure but appear
_____________________________________________
in different organisms and have different
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
functions.
Their appearance across different species offers strong
Common ___________________
descent
evidence for _______________
Structures that perform a similar function BUT
_____________________________________________
are not similar in origin.
_____________________________________________
These structures do not provide evidence for a
Common ancestor
_______________________
Remnants of _________________
ORGANS
or __________________
STRUCTURES
that
had a function in an early ancestor.
WINGS OF FLIGHTLESS BIRDS
(Cassowary)
(Ostrich)
SEX ORGANS
(Dandelions)
HIND LEG BONES IN SNAKES PELVIC BONES (Baloon
(Boa or Python)
Whale)
VESTIGIAL BEHAVIORS-FAKE SEX
(Virgin Whiptail Lizards)
BLIND EYES (Astyanax Mexicanus)
Structure of organisms
Skulls of fossil Hominidae
Australopithecus
robustus
Evolution from
different
CLASSES
______________
of animals
Homo habilis & H. sapiens
Homo erectus
Homo sapiens neanderthalis
Evolution within same
ORDER
_______________
of animals
1.
The study of
____________________
embryos
____________________
____________________
2. Show common
ancestry
____________________
3.
Show common
____________________
traits
____________________
Which one is human?
How does evolution work
VESTIGIAL STRUCTURE - body part that no longer has a function appendix
and pink lump in eye of humans
Molecular and genetic evidence support
fossil and anatomical evidence.
 Two closely-related organisms will have
similar DNA sequences.
Process Box 8:
Describe 4 types of evidence for
evolution. Be sure to include how the
evidence supports the theory of
evolution.
1.
COMPETITION: __struggle among living things to get their needs______________________________
2.
EVOLUTION : _change in hereditary features in a group of organisms over time_________________
3.
EXTINCT : _life-form that no longer exists_____________________________________________
4.
FERTILE : ___can produce viable egg and sperm___________________________________
5.
FOSSIL : __remains of once living things from the past_____________________________________
6.
NATURAL SELECTION _something in a living thing’s surroundings will determine if it will survive__
7.
NEW-WORLD MONKEY _tails that can grasp and nostrils that open upward__________________
8.
OLD-WORLD MONKEY __cannot grasp with tails and have downward nostrils_________________
9.
OPPOSABLE THUMB: _thumb that is positioned opposite of other fingers_________________
10. PRIMATE: _have eyes that face forward and thumbs that grasp_____________________________
11. SEDIMENTARY ROCK: _form from mud, sand and other fine particles___________________________
12. SPECIES: __group of living things that can produce fertile offspring__________________________
13. VARIATION: _a trait that makes an individual different from others of its species________________
14. VESTIGIAL STRUCTURE: _body part that no longer has a function appendix and pink lump in eye of
humans
 http://discovermagazine.com/2013/
march/14-interbreeding-neanderthals
Type I
1.
What does evolution mean to you in
everyday language?
2.
What does evolution mean to you in the
language of science?
Type I
Making Predictions/Making Connections:
What does the concepts of ‘Geological
Change’ have to do with the concept of
‘Evolution’?
Type I
Understanding
Write down three organisms and
describe how they are adapted to their
environment.
Type I
Talk in your group about the evolution of the
human. Develop a theory of how the human
came to be.
Type I
List and describe different forms of evidence
that provide proof that evolution
has/continues to take place.
Type I
Give an example of interspecific and
intraspecific variations in organisms.
1.
2.
Type I
Go back to the process box where you
‘listed and described different forms of
evidence that provide proof that evolution’.
Now list two other types of evidence that
you didn’t consider initially. Circle the type
of evidence you feel is the greatest form of
proof.
Type I
How do you suppose elephants
are from both Asia and Africa?
Type I
How do organisms acquire their adaptations?
What is the source of new traits/adaptations?