Biological Evidence for Evolution

Biological Evidence for Evolution worksheet preview image
Subjects
Science, Biology
Grades
9
Language
ENG
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91 classrooms used this worksheet

Matching (Types of Evidence) Matching the type of evidence for evolution with its corresponding description. Embryology Different species show similar developmental patterns indicating a common ancestors. Homologous Structures Similar body structures with different functions show indication of a common ancestor as different environments lead to adaptations. Vestigial Structures Organs or structures which have lost most or all of their original function indicates common ancestry with related species. Fossil Record Remnant of an organism preserved in a sedimentary rock, conveys that organism have changed overtime DNA Matching DNA sequences support Common Ancestor Theory Comparative Anatomy Sort the image based off whether it is a homologous, analogous or vestigial.(Larger images have been provided below for you to look at in case you need to- the images to sort are below them.)#1#2#3#4 Homologous Structure #4 Analogous Structure #1 #3 Vestigial Structure #2 Comparative anatomy, the comparative study of the body structures of different species of animals in order to understand the adaptive changes they have undergone in the course of evolution.Anatomical similarities between organisms support the idea that these organisms evolved from a common ancestor. Embryology Embryology, the study of embryos, is an important cornerstone of biological evolution and can be used to help determine similarities and differences between various species. An embryo of an organism is the fertilized egg as it goes through the processes of development that are specific to that species. Below you will see an embryo at the same stage of development for a human, chicken, turtle, fish. Try to sort them into those categories. KEY WORD... TRY. Human 1 Fish 3 Chicken 2 Turtle 4 Complete the sentence Similarities in embryological development can also provide evidence for evolution. Observing of different species during various stages of early development can reveal similarities. Many different species share similar structures early on such as tails or gill slits, which demonstrates relationships and reveals common ancestors. The more structures they have in common, the more closelyrelated the organisms. Fossil Record Use the Law of Superposition to rank the labeled fossils at location one, in the image below, in order from oldest to youngest. Where 1 = oldest and 4 = youngest. (Hint: Use Numbers!!) 4 3 2 1 Complete the sentence The fossil record provides snapshots of the past which, when assembled, illustrate a panorama of evolutionary change over the past 3.5 billion years. The picture may be smudged in places and has bits missing, but fossil evidence clearly shows that life is very, very old and has changed over time through evolution.

Science Biology Evolution
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