AGREE or DISAGREE? What s your understanding of EVOLUTION?

AGREE or DISAGREE? What s your understanding of EVOLUTION?

Statement 1. Humans evolved from monkeys.

Reasons for AGREE 0% Reasons for DISAGREE 100% Outcompeted by humans Humans and monkeys are evolving at the same time Humans share a common ancestor Fossil record, evidence shows something different

Statement 2. Evolution is just a theory.

Reasons for AGREE 47% Reasons for DISAGREE 53% Not 100% certain that evolution occurred We can see it happening (skinks) Can t know everything about how evolution evolved Evidence to support the theory Can t be tested to be proven Speculation but there is evidence Homologous structures evidence for evolution

Statement 3. Humans are no longer evolving.

Reasons for DISAGREE Reasons for AGREE 0% 100% Random mutations are the raw material for evolution and mutations are happening Why would it stop? Childhood illnesses that undergo selective pressures Natural selection has slowed due to medicine Surroundings are constantly changing so natural selection is still happening Still evolving - lactose tolerance/intolerance

Statement 4. Evolution only occurs slowly over millions of years.

Reasons for AGREE Reasons for DISAGREE 59% 41% Changes within families will lead to changes generationally Haven t seen it happening Antibiotics and superbugs have an effect, but it doesn t take millions of years 1 organism with a change that is selected for can initiate change within a population Bacteria reproduces quickly evolution can occur over generations because time can be short or long depending on reproductive timeline Invasive species outcompete native populations quickly

Statement 5. Evolution is just about mutation and selection.

Reasons for AGREE 71% Reasons for DISAGREE 29% Sickle cell anemia is caused by a single nucleotide mutation and has resulted in a 3 genotypes (HH, HS, SS) confer an advantage in different environmental conditions (i.e., heterozygous advantage in environments where malaria is prevalent) Mutations cause changes in individuals resulting in phenotypes that are selected for/against in a population, and this leads to changes over generations Evolution has to do with thinking tool use, etc. not a result of mutation Sometimes traits that are beneficial don t end up in the population

Statement 6. Evolution is random.

Reasons for DISAGREE Reasons for AGREE 82% 18% Stalk-eyed ants have a trait that has implications for fitness and resulted from a random mutation. In this way, evolution is random there was no way to predict that this trait would be favorable All adaptations are meaningful and have an equal likelihood to affect a change in a population Evolution causes shifts in phenotype frequencies. Phenotypes are traits that help an organism survive or die, and therefore are not random Mutations can be neutral or beneficial or unfavorable evolution cannot predict the outcome or predict what mutation will occur or its effect If evolution is random, then all traits have an equal chance of persisting in a population. In other words, there is no selective pressure for/against a phenotype Organisms don t tell themselves to mutate so evolution isn t directed to produce a certain outcome If a trait is not beneficial, then the organism dies, and the phenotype does not get passed on We cannot predict how the Initial species will evolve In this way, evolution is unpredictable, not random

Statement 7. Evolution is goal-oriented.

Reasons for AGREE 35% Reasons for DISAGREE 65% Evolution must be goal-oriented because its driving force is increased species fitness and survivability To be goal-oriented implies that perfection within a species is an achievable and realistic endpoint The goal of evolution is species survival Vestigial structures are evidence that there is no end goal or perfect state. If there was, why would structures that are remnants persist and not disappear completely?

Statement 8. Organisms get better due to evolution.

Reasons for DISAGREE Reasons for AGREE 88% 12% If a trait isn t beneficial, then the individual will die and the trait will disappear. In this way, organisms get better through evolutionary change Organisms NEED to evolve to fit with a changing environment otherwise they will die Define better! Phenotypes don t necessarily make the species better as much as they increase the odds of organism survival Organisms are well-fit (adapted) to their environment, not better (ex. Fish are well adapted to their aquatic environment compared to humans, but that doesn t make them better than humans) Phenotypes that are expressed but might not be completely beneficial (Is it better to have sickle cell disease or not? This must be determined by the environment the organism expressing the disease is in, and not just a matter of its presence or absence) Vestigial structures if they made the organism better then why did they lose their function? Organisms (express phenotypes) adapt to specific needs (that may confer an advantage in that environment)

Statement 9. Individuals evolve.

Reasons for DISAGREE Reasons for AGREE 82% 18% Human growth and development is an example of how individuals change over time Mr. Anderson said so individual mutation but evolution occurs in a population The definition of evolution is change in allele and phenotype frequency in a population it s effect is on a large scale Reproduction is required for characteristics to be passed on Many generations are required for evolutionary change to take place Evolution can t happen instantaneously, but can occur in a short generation time (bacteria) Evolution requires at least one organism to initiate change

Statement 10. Gene trees and species trees don t always match so phylogenetics must be inaccurate.

Reasons for AGREE huh? Reasons for DISAGREE

Statement 11. All traits are adaptive.

Reasons for DISAGREE Reasons for AGREE 18% 82% All traits can change and be inherited by the next generation to help the species evolve Since phenotypes are linked to the individual who expresses them, it must be adaptive because they survived. For example, if one trait is beneficial and one is not due to a random mutation, they will both have an effect on the evolution of the species because they will cause the survival or death of the individual. Traits will be passed on and will get better (ex. The way the mother raises the child will affect how the child raises its children is an example of adaptive ) Belly buttons are not adaptive, they are an example of a non-adaptive byproduct like the number of fingers on our hand To be an adaptation for a particular function, the trait must be heritable, have the function it was selected for, and increase fitness Color of human blood is not an adaptive trait because it does not confer an advantage to the individual, it is a phenotype that has a neutral effect because it is due to the chemistry of the hemoglobin molecule Sickle cell anemia not always good but can be a favorable adaptation depending on the environment

Statement 12. Epigenetics shows that Lamarck was correct and Darwin was wrong.

Reasons for DISAGREE Reasons for AGREE Darwin wasn t 100% right Darwin s mechanism of evolution is supported by substantial evidence Darwin wasn t 100% wrong Lamarck acquired traits is not right and epigenetics may or may not result in inheritance For traits to be adaptive, they must be inherited. Not all epigenetic phenotypes are inherited, and even when they are, they are lost after a few generations