A change in the genetic composition of a population over time
Descent with modification
The gradual appearance of all biological diversity
Reasons for evolution
Mutation
Migration
Genetic drift
Natural selection
Evolution only occurs when there is a change in gene frequency within a population over time
Genetic differences are heritable and can be passed on to the next generation
Evolution is a long term change
Andreas Vesalius
Comparative anatomy, observations no more relying on text by ancient expert, animals have many anatomical similarities to animals and places us in the natural world
William Harvey and William Paley
Observation, Harvey understand natural world by envisioning living things as machines, Paley was a proponent of natural theology, mechanisms are the products of divine creation, glorify its creator, discovered blood was pumped from the heart
Nicholas Steno
Birth of paleontology, fossils are not oddly-shaped rocks; evident of past life, sediments were laid down in layers trapping organisms, preserving snapshots of life at different points in the history of earth
Carolus Linnaeus
Binomial and hierarchies, organized life into hierarchy of classification (KPCOFGS)
George Louie Leclerc-Comte de Buffon
Old earth ancient life, earth is old, understand its history in terms of natural processes, life has history and natural process, explain its origins and subsequent change, proposed species shared ancestors instead of arising separately
Thomas Malthus
Human populations subjected to same basic laws of nature as other, growth outstrip the resources available to support population
Georges Cuvier
Extinction happens! During occasional catastrophic events on Earth, did not believed in organisms evolved, organisms function perfectly, any change would destroy balance
William Smith
Biostratigraphy, Smith discovered that using fossils, rock layers can be identified in order they formed with use if fossils
Jean Baptiste-Lamarck
Evolution happens through natural processes, mechanisms of inheritance of acquired characteristics and internal force that cause life to evolve into more complex
Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics
Organisms adapt to its environment, changes passed to offspring, evolution of new and improved adaptions
Theory of use and disuse
By using or not using body parts, an individual tends to develop certain characteristics, passed to offspring, species evolved as a result of interactions with environment, genes cannot be altered by any effort by an organism
Karl Ernst von Baer
Developmental similarities, embryology does not reflect a progression from lower to higher, but many have have similar developmental stage
Charles Lyell
Uniformitarianism, same processes occur
Charles Darwin
British naturalist (1809 - 1882), provided evidence that existing species have evolved from pre-existing ones, theory of evolution by natural selection, observed the similarities among many discrete species and noted the differences that enabled them to be adapted to their environmental conditions (Finches in Galapagos Islands)
Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection
Overproduction
Variation
Competition
Differential reproductive success
When populations are separated, natural selection on two separate populations can produce two distinct populations with different characteristics resulting in two separate species
Microevolution
Changes of a population over time
Macroevolution
The formation of species
Evidences supporting the theory of evolution
Fossil records
Fossil dating (biostratification)
Radiometric dating
Comparative anatomy of related species
Distribution of plants and animals
Related species have similar patterns of development
Molecular comparisons between organisms
Five related theories
Perpetual change
Common descent
Multiplication of species
Gradualism
Natural selection
Gregor Mendel
Chromosomes and mutation, concluded inheritance is not blending parental traits, but rather passing discrete genetic units from parents
Ernst Haeckel
Early evolutionary development, common ancestry can be seen on development of an organism, ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny
Alfred Russel Wallace
Biogeography, species distribution is the result of its evolutionary history, co-discoverer of theory natural selection, explored amazon basin (1848-1852), sent Darwin an unpublished manuscript to read prior to its publication
Alfred Wegener
Continents once formed a super continent and have split apart
Thomas Henry Huxley
Human evolved over time, known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, agnostic, believes that the human mind could not go beyond limits
Eugene Dubois
Human evolved over time, Dutch anatomist and geologist, discovered the remains of Java man, the first known fossil of Homo erectus
Thomas Hunt Morgan
Chromosomes contain hereditary materials, mutation to chromosomes have small effects, 1910, study fruit fly detected mutant male fly (white eyes not red)
Fisher, Haldane and Wright
Random mutation, mathematical models in study of evolution, evolution driven by small mutations, not drastic ones
Theodosius Dobzhansky
Modern synthesis, combine genetics and natural history to show mutations, genetic variability, and isolation act to create new species, integrate the data and theory of genetics, paleontology, systematics, other sciences
Ernsy Mayr
Speciation, geographic isolation important in the accumulation of genetic differences, incipient species
Clair Patterson
Earth is 4.5 byo, enough time for evolution by natural selection
Lynn Margulis
Organisms from very distinct lineages joined together symbiotically and formed new lineages
James Watson and Francis Crick
Discovered structure of DNA lead to understand mutation, changes in DNA, drive evolution
Stephen Jay Gould
Modern evo-devo, changes in regulatory genes that affect development is important source of variation for evolution, study development and how genes control development can tell us about evolution