MECHANISMS AND EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION

EVOLUTION

The change in heritable traits of a population over successive generations.

NATURAL SELECTION

Heritable traits that increase an organism's fitness for survival and reproduction become more prevalent in a population over successive generations.

Charles Darwin.

Proposed Natural Selection

ARTIFICIAL SELECTION

AKA selective breeding, is a process in which humans intentionally select and breed individuals with desired traits

GENETIC DRIFT

Refers to the random fluctuations in the frequency of alleles within a population over generations due to chance events.

FOUNDER EFFECT

A small group of individuals establishes a new population in a different geographical area.

BOTTLENECK EVENTS

A significant reduction in population size due to a catastrophic event

MUTATION

Refers to a heritable change in the DNA sequence of an organism. can occur during DNA replication or by external factors such as radiation or chemicals.

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

Mutations in bacterial genes leading to resistance against antibiotics.

Evolutionary Relationships

refer to the patterns of relatedness and ancestry among different species, as inferred from their shared evolutionary history.

Taxonomy

the branch of biology that deals with classifying, naming, and organizing organisms based on their characteristics and evolutionary relationships.

MOLECULAR DATA

refers to information obtained from studying molecules within organisms, primarily DNA, RNA, and proteins.

HOMOLOGOUS STRUCTURES

anatomical features that share a common evolutionary origin, indicating they are derived from a common ancestor.

ANALOGOUS STRUCTURES

anatomical features that have similar functions or purposes but do not share a common evolutionary origin.

Vestigial Structures

an anatomical features or behavior that no longer seems to have a purpose in the current form of an organism

FOSSILS

the preserved remains or traces of organisms from past geologic ages. can be used to reconstruct evolutionary relationships by comparing the morphological features of extinct species with living organisms.

EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT

all embryos appear identical during the early stages of development. This is an evidence of shared evolutionary history of vertebrates. All belong to Phylum Chordata

METAMORPHOSIS / LIFE CYCLE

Despite differences in adult appearance and behavior, both butterflies and moths exhibit similar metamorphic changes and life cycle. Both are within Order Lepidoptera.