Evidence of Evolution

• The fossil record is the collection of all known past life forms, including both extinct species and those that still exist.
• Fossils are formed when an organism dies and becomes buried under sediment or rock.
• Petrification occurs when minerals dissolved in groundwater seep through the pores of the plant material and replace its organic components with mineral matter.
• Some fossils can be found in layers of sedimentary rocks called strata, which represent different periods of geological history.
• Homology - Homologous Structures 


  Structures have the same set of structures, presumably from a common ancestor that may appear different and with varied functions.
• Analogy - Analogous 


  structures in organisms perform the same function but may have developed from distinct embryological processes or from different set of structures.
• Vestigiality - Vestigial Structures 


  are those that have mostly lost ancestral function, like this human vermiform appendix that houses good bacteria when ancestors ate raw food and pathogen are ingested.
• Embryology 


  Study of embryonic development
• Evidence from embryology 


  states that embryos seem to look alike, but changes as adults. It can also provide clues, but not a concrete ontogeny of evolution.
• Biogeography 


  Describes the distribution of species in terms of geographic space and geologic time.
• Biogeography 


  Distribution and Speciation through space and time
• Molecular Biology 


  Universality of the genetic code and amino acids
• Using Evidence of Evolution to infer relationships

  Cytochrome C Protein is vital in all organisms to release energy from food in the electron transport chain and to signal programmed cell death.
• Cladogram 


  It can be used to show how organisms were related and they have a possible evolutionary relationships based on the evidence of evolution.
• Embryology can provide clues but not a concrete ontogeny of evolution
• Embryological Development 


  Events and changes that happen during embryonic development.
• Homologous Structures 


  Provide evidence for common ancestry
• Analogous Structures 


  states that similar selective pressures can produce similar adaptations (beneficial features).
• Molecular Biology


  Similarities between biological molecules can reflect shared evolutionary ancestry. At the most basic level, all living organisms share the same genetic material and the same, or highly similar genetic codes.