Evidence of Evolution

what was not known in Darwin’s time that is now understood in evolution?

genetic inheritance

what did Darwin believe all organisms share?

a common ancestor

what did Darwin collect to support his theories?

strong evidence

what ties together all fields of biology today?

the concept of evolution

what is the study of embryos and their development?

embryology

what are embryos?

the early developmental stages of an organism after fertilization but before birth or hatching

what did Darwin notice about embryos of different species?

they may look very similar, although the adult species look very different

what do similar features in embryos of very different organisms suggest?

evolution from a distant common ancestor

what is the study of fossils or extinct organisms?

paleontology

what did Darwin collect that provided evidence for evolution?

fossils

what do fossils show about organisms over time?

they give rise to new species and share a common ancestor (descent with modification)

what are 2 ways fossils support evolution?

fossil age determination and species change over time

what is the study of distribution of organisms around the world?

biogeography

what does biogeography help scientists understand about evolution?

how species distribution supports the idea of common ancestry and adaptation

what does morphology study?

the form of living organisms and their structures

what is another term for morphology?

comparative anatomy

what did Darwin learn by comparing body parts of different species?

similar structures may be used differently in different organisms

what are homologous structures?

structures that are similar in related organisms due to a common ancestor

what are analogous structures?

structures that are similar in unrelated organisms

what are vestigial structures?

small leftover organs or structures that had a function in an early ancestor

what level do scientists study to find similarities among organisms in biochemistry?

the molecular level

what do comparisons of DNA and protein sequences show?

evolutionary relationships between organisms

the more related two organisms are, the more ______ their DNA sequences will be

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