Evolution_2_2025 LMS

Evidence for Evolution

The fossil record, comparative anatomy, comparative embryology, common ancestry, convergent evolution, phylogenetic constraint, adaptive radiation, geographic distribution, and domestication.

Comparative Anatomy

The study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species.

Homologous Traits

Similar features in different species that are derived from a common ancestor.

Analogous Traits

Features that evolve independently in different species due to similar environmental pressures.

Vestigial Structures

Body parts that have lost their original function through evolution.

Cladogenesis

The division of a single lineage into two lineages.

Anagenesis

Evolution within a single lineage, without branching.

Adaptive Radiation

The evolution of several ecologically diverse species from a common ancestral species.

Phylogenetic Constraint

Constraints in evolutionary pathways due to inherited traits from ancestors.

Common Ancestry

The concept that species share a common ancestor.

Fossil Record

A dated sequence of morphological change that provides evidence for evolution and common ancestry.

Artificial Selection

A process by which humans breed plants and animals for specific traits.

Natural Selection

The mechanism by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

Convergent Evolution

The process by which unrelated organisms evolve similar traits due to adapting to similar environments.

Mosaic Evolution

The pattern of evolutionary change where different traits evolve at different rates.

Evolutionary Trends

Directional changes in features and diversity of organisms over time.

Stratigraphy

The study of rock layers (strata) to determine the chronological age of fossils.

Homoplasy

Similar appearance in structures that may or may not be homologous or analogous.

Homozygous

An organism with two identical alleles for a particular trait.

Heterozygous

An organism with two different alleles for a particular trait.

Domestication

The process of adapting wild plants and animals for human use.

Geographic Distribution

The spread of species across different geographic regions and the factors influencing it.

Fossil Evidence for Evolutionary Failure

Extinction events in the fossil record that demonstrate the failure of certain species.