Evidence of Evolution Inquiry

Evidence of Evolution Inquiry Activity Essential Question: How can I construct an argument using evidence from comparative morphology, embryology, and genetics, to explain why all living organisms are related by common descent?Background InformationWhen Charles Darwin first proposed the idea that all new species descend from an ancestor, he performed an exhaustive amount of research to provide as much evidence as possible. Today, the major pieces of evidence for evolution can be broken down into four types of evidence: fossil record, embryology, comparative anatomy, and molecular biology. Depending on where fossils are found in the ground, scientists could estimate the relative age of fossils. Most fossils are the remains of the hard parts of an organism where the hard parts have been slowly replaced by minerals. Based on the diagrams above, which fossil letter is most likely the oldest? A B C D Based on the diagrams, which fossil letter is most likely the youngest? A B C D Why do you think it is important for scientists to know the relative age of fossils when providing evidence for common ancestry? Embryology Organisms that are closely related may also have physical similarities before they are even born! Take a look at the six different embryos below: These are embryos of organisms during the early stages of development.What physical similarities exist between each of the embryos? Describe the patterns you see. These are older, more developed embryos from the same organisms.What physical similarities exist between each of the embryos now? Describe the patterns you see.Are some embryos more similar to each other than others? Which ones? These are embryos at their most advanced stage, shortly before birth.Hypothesize which embryo is from each of the following organisms: Human F Chicken D Rabbit E Tortoise C Salamander B Fish A Do you think the development of embryos can be used as evidence of a common ancestor between each of these six organisms? Explain why or why not. Shown below are images of the skeletal structure of the front limbs of 7 animals: frog, crocodile, lizard, bird, human, cat, whale, and bat. Each animal has a similar set of bones.For each animal, describe what type of movement each limb is responsible for in the table below. Animal Primary Function Frog Swimming, jumping Lizard Movement, defense, digging Bird Flight Human Using tools, picking up and holding objects Cat Movement, catching prey, defense Whale Swimming Bat Flight Identify the organism below which has a similar bone structure with a different function. Cat Lizard Whale Compare the anatomy of the butterfly and bird wing below.1. What is the function of each of these structures?2. How are the butterfly wing and bird wing different in structure? Give specific differences. Compare the pelvic bones of a human and whale below. In land-dwelling animals, the primary function of the pelvis is to support the upper body and transfer body weight to the lower limbs.1. Does the pelvis bone serve a purpose for whales?2. How can the pelvis bones in both whale and humans be evidence that they share a common ancestor? In the table below please provide examples for each type of structure. Structure Examples Homologous structures show individual variations on a common anatomical theme. These are seen in organisms that are closely related. Forelimbs of all mammals Analogous structures have very different anatomies but similar functions. These are seen in organisms that are not necessarily closely related, but live in similar environments and have similar adaptations. Bird, bat, and insect wings Vestigial structures are anatomical structures that were important in the organism’s ancestors, but are no longer used in the same way. Whale pelvic bone 2 Virtual Learning Day Make sure to sign in with Google. The EdPuzzle is a separate grade from the rest of the worksheet. Evidence for Evolution EdPuzzle