Evidence from Evolution Activity Part 1 - Fossils Use the diagrams on the next page to answer the following questions IN YOUR NOTEBOOK. 1. Describe how fossils form. 2. Describe the different types of fossils. The Fossilization Process DO NOT WRITE ON THIS Types of Fossils
In addition to using radioactive isotopes to determine the age of fossils, geologists use an indirect method of dating rocks and fossils called stratigraphy. Stratigraphy is the study of strata on earth. Strata are layers. For this task you will study a diagram of the earth s strata. Examine the diagram below of the earth s strata and answer the following questions in your notebook: 3. Which of the layers is the oldest layer? 4. Write the order you think the layers formed, starting with oldest and going to youngest. Include A, B, C, D & E in your prediction. 5. What do you think might have caused E? Look at the 3 pictures of fossils that could have been found in the layers from the earth s strata diagram above: The Hyracotherium was found in Layer C The Merychippus was found in Layer B The Equus was found in Layer A Figure 1: Hyracotherium Layer C Figure 2: Marychippus Layer B
Figure 3: Equus Layer A 6. Compare each fossil with each other. What similarities and differences do you observe? Make a Venn diagram (with 3 circles) in your notebook to record your thoughts and observations. 7. Suppose you are examining layers of rock. In one layer, you discover the remains of an alligator. In a deeper layer, you discover the fossil of a polar bear. What can you hypothesize about the changes in this environment over time? Part 2 - Homologous Structures Use the diagram below to answer the following questions. Analogous Structures: structures that do not have a common evolutionary origin but are similar in function (example: wings of birds and insects). Homologous Structures: structures with common evolutionary origins (can be similar in structure, function, or both).
8. How are the limbs of the organisms pictured above similar? How are they different? 9. Which limbs perform similar functions? 10. Are the wings of a bat and bird homologous or analogous? Explain. How do homologous structures provide evidence for evolution? 11. Which is a better indicator of the relationship between two organisms structure or function? Explain your reasoning. Comparative Embryology 12. Make a grid like the one below in your notebook. Correctly match the embryos with the animals in the grid, placing them in order. Record the number in the correct grid in your notebook. 13. What, if any, trends do you see as you go from stage 1 to stage 3? 14. Of these organisms - fish, chicken, pig, calf and human which ones are more related to each other? How did you determine this? 15. Describe how embryonic development can show evidence for evolution.
Part 3 Molecular Biology Cytochrome c is a protein found in mitochondria that is involved in cellular respiration. It is used in the study of evolutionary relationships because most animals have this protein. Cytochrome c is made of 104 amino acids joined together. Below is a list of the amino acids in part of a cytochrome protein molecule for 9 different animals. Any sequences exactly the same for all animals have been skipped. 44 46 50 54 58 60 61 62 65 66 100 101 102 103 104 Human P Y A N I G E D M E K A T N E Chicken E F D N T G E D M E D A T S K Horse P F D N T K E E M E K A T N E Tuna E F D S V N N E R E K A T S - Frog A F D N T G E E M E S A C S K Shark Q F D S T Q Q E R I K T A A S Turtle E F E N T G E E M E D A T S K Monkey P Y A N T G E D M E K A T N E Rabbit V F D N T G E D M E K A T N E 16. For each non-human animal, count the number of amino acids that are different than the human sequence. Record how many differences you found for each species in your notebook. 17. Out of 104, how many amino acids are the SAME for all of the organisms if only the ones that are different are shown above? 18. Based on the Cytochrome C data, which organism is MOST closely related to humans? 19. Which is the LEAST closely related to humans? Examining whole chromosomes or the entire genome can give a more complete picture of evolutionary relationships. Use the diagram showing chromosomes of humans, chimpanzee, gorilla, and orangutan to answer the following questions. 20. What chromosome(s) seems to be the most different between humans and other the other primates shown? 21. What chromosome(s) seem to be the most similar for all four species? 22. Based on this data, what two of all the primate species shown are most closely related? Explain your reasoning. 23. Of all the different pieces of evidence you looked at in this packet, which do you think is the most convincing? Explain your reasoning. 24. Given the amount of research and evidence available on evolution, why is it classified as a theory?
Human Chimpanzee Gorilla Orangutan Figure 5. All chromosomes from four hominid species: human, chimp, gorilla, and orangutan. With kind permission of Jorge Yunis (Yunis & Prakash, 1982