1. The History of Life
Biological Evolution

2. Uniformitarianism Hutton and Lyell
believes “the present is the key to the past”
assumes that the natural processes governing the earth today operated at the same rate throughout history

3. Uniformitarianism
problems
catastrophes
creation with apparent age

4. Jean Lamarck theory of need theory of use and disuse
theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics
basic problem: passing on acquired characteristics to future generations

5. Charles Darwin
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859)

6. Darwin’s Theory descent with modification theory of natural selection
common ancestor
theory of natural selection
artificial selection
natural selection
survival of the fittest

7. Darwin’s Theory problems
Natural selection regroups existing characteristics.
No new genetic information is created.

8. Charles Darwin
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859)
The Descent of Man (1871)

9. Geologic Column
the sequence of fossil-containing rock layers that shows the supposed rate of evolution

11. Dating Methods also use the principles of uniformitarianism
radiometric dating methods
measure the decay of a radioactive substance into a nonradioactive substance

12. Hugo de Vries Species and Varieties: Their Origin by Mutation
used the term “mutations”

13. Neo-Darwinism mutation-selection theory
blends Darwin’s theory of natural selection and de Vries’s theory of mutations

14. Mutations & Evolution Mutations are random.
Mutations must occur in reproductive cells.
Evolution requires “good mutations.”
happening repeatedly
in many, many organisms

15. Mutations & Evolution Too many mutations will kill an organism.
genetic load

16. Punctuated Equilibrium
During some periods of time, evolution occurred rapidly, while at other times, very little evolution took place.

17. Homologous Structures
organs that are similar in structure and function in two different organisms

18. evolution of a similar structure in unrelated species
Convergent Evolution
evolution of a similar structure in unrelated species

19. organs which no longer have any function
Vestigial Structures
organs which no longer have any function