Evidence for Evolution
“The earth is not a mere fragment of dead history, stratum upon stratum like the
leaves of a book, to be studied by geologists and antiquaries chiefly, but living poetry
like the leaves of a tree…”
Henry David Thoreau 1817 - 1862
Section 1A– Vocabulary
Below is a list of all of the biology vocabulary terms used in the Unit. By the end of the Unit, you
will be able to write a working definition of each term and correctly use each term.
amino acid sequence
atmosphere
big bang
common ancestor
continental drift
cyanobacteria
deep time
embryology
endosymbiotic theory
eukaryotes
 evolution
 extinction
 fossil record
 geological change
 gradualism
 homologous structure
 mass extinction
 molecular biology
 molecular clock
 multicellular organism
 oxygen atmosphere
 photosynthesis
 phylogenetic tree
 punctuated equilibrium
 radiometric dating
 species
 stratigraphy
 supercontinent
Section 1B – Mastery Objectives / Critical Thinking Skills
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Describe how life may have evolved on early earth from simple molecules
List the four big ideas related to the Theory of Evolution
Give 3 examples of fossil evidence that support the theory of evolution
Describe the probable evolution of whales
Give an example of a homologous structure and explain how it supports the Evolutionary
Theory
Explain why an organism’s embryonic development helps understand its evolutionary
history.
Explain how proteins and DNA sequences can used to determine evolutionary relationships
and the timing of common ancestors.
Section 2A –Suggested Readings
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Miller and Levine – pp 382-385
Section 2B –Relevant Websites
Refer to the class wiki http://nnhsbiology.pbworks.com
Section 3 –In Class Activities
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Lecture and Slides
Vertebrate Evolution
Earth’s Tmeline Activity
Barbellus Activity
Chicken Wing Dissection
More BLASTING (?)
Section 4 –– Outside Class Assignments
Thoughtfully answer each of the following questions or comments. Include all your reasoning and show
all your work wherever it is appropriate. Due dates for each assignment will be given in class and
posted on the class wiki. (Please remember - homework that is passed in late will receive a 15% late
penalty.
1. Create a timeline spanning 2 billion years, ending at the present. Make sure your scale is
accurate!! Pick 10 key events in the biological history of the earth. (Based on what you
have learned, you decide which are the important events.) Locate them on your
timeline and explain why each has been critical to the evolution of humans.
2. Pick an animal or plant that you are fond of. (There has to be at least 1).
a. Using your now considerable research skills on the internet, identify 3 of its
ancestral forms (pictures of fossils or recreations work here.)
b. Describe at least two physical changes that occurred between each of your three
choices (a total of 4 changes).
c. Finally describe what adaptive advantages these changes gave to each form that
made it more fit than its ancestor. (You may include any climate changes that
may have played a role.) (Dogs, Finches and moths are off the table.)
3. Biologists love to quote the following phrase, “Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny with
variation.” Decoded, this phrase means that as an embryo develops, it replays much of
its evolutionary history. Using the visual information on power point slide #22, (and
other sources if you wish) determine which organisms are more closely related to each
otheris a chicken more closely related to a rabbit or a fish or a human? Show your
reasoning.
4. What is the difference between homologous structures and analogous structures? Give
examples of each type and explain the forces that shaped them.
5. Before DNA mapping and genome sequencing, biologists determined the relatedness of
different species by looking at the difference in the amino acid sequences of their
common proteins.
a. Why is this a reasonable approach to determining relatedness?
b. Why can a protein have slightly different amino acid sequences in different
species but still be a functional enzyme?