AP Biology Evidence for Evolution by Natural Selection

AP Biology Science happens within a culture TINTORETTO The Creation of the Animals 1550 What was the doctrine of the time?

AP Biology Then along comes Darwin… years old!

AP Biology Warbler finch Woodpecker finch Small insectivorous tree finch Large insectivorous tree finch Vegetarian tree finch Cactus finch Sharp-beaked finch Small ground finch Medium ground finch Large ground finch Insect eaters Bud eater Seed eaters Cactus eater Warbler finch Tree finches Ground finches Then along comes Darwin… Ancestral species Descendant species & those dang finches!

AP Biology Correlation of species to food source Adaptive radiation Seed eaters Flower eaters Insect eaters Rapid speciation: new species filling niches, because they inherited successful adaptations.

AP Biology (a) Cactus eater. The long, sharp beak of the cactus ground finch (Geospiza scandens) helps it tear and eat cactus flowers and pulp. (c) Seed eater. The large ground finch (Geospiza magnirostris) has a large beak adapted for cracking seeds that fall from plants to the ground. (b) Insect eater. The green warbler finch (Certhidea olivacea) uses its narrow, pointed beak to grasp insects. Beak variation in Galapagos finches

AP Biology Glyptodont fossils Modern armadillos Modern sloth Sloth fossils Why should extinct species & living species be found on the same continent?

AP Biology Big Idea 1  The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life cells DNA

AP Biology What are the 4 lines of evidence that support Darwin’s ideas?… LampreyFrogBird Dog MacaqueHuman

AP Biology 1. What are the lines of evidence that support Darwin’s ideas? Fossil record Millions of years ago Equus Hyracotherium Mesohippus Merychippus Nannippus Body size (kg)

AP Biology Evolution of birds Smithsonian Museum, Washington, DC  Archaeopteryx  lived about 150 mya  links reptiles & birds

AP Biology Evolution of land animals  2006 Fossil Discovery of Early Tetrapod  “Tiktaalik”  “missing link” from sea to land animals  from swimming (0 legs) to walking (4 legs)

AP Biology ? ? ? ? Where are the transitional fossils? Land Mammal Aquatic Mammal At first, I was just a joke! Evolution of marine mammals But then, they actually found my fossil!

AP Biology 2. What are the lines of evidence that support Darwin’s ideas? Terminal bud Lateral buds Brussels sprouts Cabbage Flower cluster Leaves Cauliflower Flower and stems BroccoliWild mustard Kohlrabi Stem Kale Artificial selection

AP Biology Selective breeding the raw genetic material (variation) is hidden there

AP Biology Natural selection in action MRSA

AP Biology Anatomical evidence 3. What are the lines of evidence that support Darwin’s ideas?

AP Biology spines tendrils succulent leaves Homologous structures leaves needles Don’t forget our plant friends! colored leaves

AP Biology Analogous structures Solving a similar problem with a similar solution Does this mean they have a recent common ancestor? Don’t be fooled by their looks! Those fins & tails & sleek bodies are analogous structures! Convergent evolution

AP Biology marsupial mammals marsupial mammals placental mammals placental mammals Convergent evolution These animals look very similar but does that mean they have a recent common ancestor? What is this evidence of?

AP Biology Parallel/convergent evolution NichePlacental MammalsAustralian Marsupials Burrower Mole Anteater Mouse Lemur Flying squirrel Ocelot Wolf Tasmanian “wolf” Tasmanian cat Sugar glider Spotted cuscus Numbat Marsupial mole Marsupial mouse Anteater Nocturnal insectivore Climber Glider Stalking predator Chasing predator Convergent evolution of analogous burrowing characteristics

AP Biology Vestigial organs Why would whales have pelvis & leg bones if they were always sea creatures? These are remnants of structures that were functional in ancestral species

AP Biology LampreyFrogBird Dog MacaqueHuman Why compare DNA & proteins across species? 4. What are the lines of evidence that support Darwin’s ideas? Why compare these genes? Number of amino acid differences between hemoglobin (146 aa) of vertebrate species and that of humans Number of amino acid differences between hemoglobin (146 aa) of vertebrate species and that of humans  compare common genes  cytochrome C (respiration)  hemoglobin (gas exchange)  compare common genes  cytochrome C (respiration)  hemoglobin (gas exchange) The sequence in DNA & proteins is a molecular record of evolutionary relationships. Comparative hemoglobin structure

AP Biology Building “family” trees

AP Biology "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution." -- Theodosius Dobzhansky March 1973 Geneticist, Columbia University ( )

AP Biology Evolution is "so overwhelmingly established that it has become irrational to call it a theory." -- Ernst Mayr What Evolution Is 2001 Professor Emeritus, Evolutionary Biology Harvard University ( )

AP Biology Don’t be a Dodo… Ask Questions!!