Intro to Evolution

Intro to Evolution

An Interactive Lesson by your Tired Teacher

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Instructions:

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Evolution is the change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations oversuccessive generations.

Evolution

heritable

characteristics

populations

successive generations

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What Evolution is NOT

• Evolution is NOT the idea that all living things come from one original cell. That idea (which we will refer to as univeral common ancestry) is based off of the theory of evolution (and sometimes considered part of it). but is not the same thing as "evolution".

• Evolution is NOT "survival of the fittess". That phrase is often used to refer to Natural Selection (which we will learn about later). Natural Selection is only one of several mechanisms of evolution.

Drag the words into place to complete the statements below.

Evolution is the in the heritable of biological over successive generations.

Evolution the same as common ancestry and natural selection.

change

characteristics

is

isn't

populations

organisms

Charles Darwin

Charles Darwinis often credited with devoloping the theory of evolution, but he was not the only scientist working on the theory, and his work was strongly based on other ideas of the time.

Ideas that came before Darwin

that led to him devoloping the ideas of evolution

Malthus and Population Growth

Thomas Malthus proclamed that if the human population continued to grow unchecked, we would soon run out resources.

Ancent, Changing Earth

In the 1700 and 1800s, geologists like Hutton and Lyell proposed that the earth was older than previousley accepted

Artifical Selection

This is when we intentionally breed something becasue it is cute, useful, or cool. Humans have been intentially selecting for certain traits in animals for thousands of years.

Lamarck's Hypothoses

A naturalist named Lamarck proposed that species were not fixed and could change. While is how he thought they changed was very wrong, he brought the idea of species changing to the table.

Drag the words to match the scientists/concept with what they/it contributed to Darwin's thinking:

Lamarck

Artifical Selection

Hutton & Lyell

Malthus

The idea that resources are limited, and populations cannot grow unchecked

The Idea that species are not fixed and could change.

The Idea that organisms could be bred in such a way as to make certain traits appear.

The Idea that the earth is very old

Origin of Species and after

Modern Theory

Since Darwin, scientist have done more research, collected evidence, and moddified the theory of evolution. We now know that natural selection is only 1 of 5 mechanisms that can cause evolution

Darwin's Voyage

Darwin sailed around the world for 5 years (starting in 1831) as part of a map-making group. During this time, he made many observations.

Origin of Species

In 1859 Darwin published a book "On the Origin of Species" where he presented his ideas on Evolution, Common Ancestry, and Natural Selection

True or False

Speciation

Speciation occures when populations (of the same species) evolve to be different enough that they can no longer breed together.

Geographic Isolation

Behavoiral Isolation

Reproductive Isolation

Drag the words to match the definitions

Geographic Isolation

Speciation

Behavoiral Isolation

Reproductive Isolation

Organisms don't breed because of differences in things like mating calls, breeding seasons, or nesting stategies

Organisms are separated physical by something like a river or mountain

Some organisms in a population no longer breed with others causing them to be their own population

Organisms change enough that they are considered their own species

Common Ancestry and Phylogeic Trees

Common Ancestery is the idea that two species come from a single origanal common ancestor.

An example is that all domestic dogs are believed to come from one origal breed that was similar to a wolf.

Phylogenic trees show how scientist think organisms descended from a common ancester / how the organisms are believed to be realted.

Think of a phylogenic tree like an evolutionary family tree. The further back the lines converge, the more distantly related the organisms are.

Question

Homologous Structure are different structures (often with differnt purposes) that are believed to have come from the same original structure.

Analogous Structure are structures that perform similar functions but are believed to have come from different origins (and are often different structurally).

Vestigial Structures

Vestigial Strucures can be throught of as evolutionary leftovers. They no longer perform their original function, but often stick around (unless they are harmful). Just because a structure is vestigial doesn't mean it is useless. Some vestiguial structures find new uses. For example, penguins' wings can be considered vestigial because they no longer work to fly, but they are not useless because they help the penguins swim.

Drag the words to match the definitions

Analogous Structures

Vestigial Structures

Homologous Structures

Serve similar purposes but come from different origins

No longer perform their original purpose

Come from the same origin and have similar structure

Congratulation

You have finished the basics!But there is always more to learn.

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