Name:

What Theme: Evolution

Unit 9 Evolution

Students will be able to:

9.1 The student will be able to describe the theory of evolution and use evidence that illustrates that living things have changed over time to support the theory.

Describe how the Earth has changed over time and the relationship between the changing Earth and the origins of life.

Analyze fossil evidence and provide possible explanations for the changes that occurred in given organisms over time, including the mass extinction of some species and the impact on biodiversity.

Conclude that geology, biochemistry, embryology, and comparative anatomy provide evidence that living things have evolved.

Explain how natural selection affects single-gene and polygenic traits resulting in directional, stabilizing, and disruptive selection patterns in a population.

Explain genetic drift and how it affects the genetics of a population overtime.

Analyze if a population is in genetic equilibrium using The Hardy-Weinberg Equation and explain the conditions that could cause a population to evolve.

Explain how artificial selection for specific traits has led to changes in species over time.

Keywords:

Geologic Time Scale

Relative Dating

Absolute Dating

Pangaea

Continental Drift

Prokaryote

Fossils

Extinct

Mass Extinction

Evolution

Scientific Theory

Natural Selection

Variation

Adaptation

Artificial Selection

Gene Pool

Allele Frequency

Single-gene Trait

Polygenic Trait

Genetic Drift

Bottleneck Effect

Founder Effect

Genetic Equilibrium

Species

Homologous

Structures

Analogous Structures

Vestigial Structures

Embryology

Evolution Unit

Date Topic

4/1 Life on Earth Annotated Reading

4/2 The Origin of the Earth Video

4/3 Life Over Time Notes

4/4 The Day the Mesozoic Died Video

4/5 Mass Extinction POGIL

4/8 Rise of the Vertebrates Video

4/9 NO SCHOOL-SAT Testing

4/10 NO SCHOOL-PARCC Testing

4/11 What is Evolution? Notes

4/12 Evolution POGIL

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4/15 Relationship Between Environment and Natural Selection Activity: Birds and the Beaks

4/16 Relationship Between Environment and Natural Selection Activity: Fish Food

4/17 Genes and Variations Notes and Gene Pool and Allele Frequency Practice

4/18 Evolution as Genetic Change in Populations Notes and Patterns of Evolution Practice

4/19 The Hardy Weinberg Equation Practice

4/22 Cosmos Episode #2

4/23 Evidence for Evolution Notes and Practice

4/24 Hands of Primates Lab

4/25 Unit Review

4/26 Evolution Unit MC Test

4/1/19

Objective: Students will be able to describe how the Earth has changed over time and the relationship

between the changing Earth and the origins of life.

Warm-Up:

1. What are two things that I want you to know by the end of this unit?

2. When is your unit test?

9.1 Life on Earth

As you read:

Underline key ideas

Define and draw a picture of the vocabulary words

Put a question mark next to ideas you don’t understand or want to know more about.

Answer the questions in the boxes.

Think About It How did life on Earth begin? What were the earliest forms of life? How did life and

the biosphere interact? Origin-of-life research is a dynamic field. But even though some current

hypotheses likely will change, our understanding of other aspects of the story is growing.

Life on a Changing Planet How have our planet’s environment and living things affected each other to shape the history of life on

Earth?

What do scientists hypothesize about early Earth and the origin of life?

Geological and astronomical evidence suggests that Earth formed as pieces of cosmic debris collided

with one another. While the planet was young, it was struck by one or more huge objects, and the

entire globe melted. For millions of years, violent volcanic activity shook Earth’s crust. Comets and

asteroids bombarded its surface. About 4.2 billion years ago, Earth cooled enough to allow solid rocks to

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form and water to condense and fall as rain. Earth’s surface became stable enough for permanent

oceans to form.

This infant planet was very different from Earth today. Earth’s early atmosphere contained

little or no oxygen. It was principally composed of Carbon Dioxide, water vapor, and nitrogen, with

lesser amounts of carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and hydrogen cyanide. If you had been there, a

few deep breaths would have killed you! Because of the gases in the atmosphere, the sky was probably

pinkish-orange. And because the oceans contained lots of dissolved iron, they were probably brown.

This was the Earth on which life began.

Watch the following video and answer the questions below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qERdL8uHSgI

1. What happened to the Earth when the oxygen levels started to rise?

2. What was a positive outcome of the oxygen catastrophe?

Today, it’s easy to think of places on Earth where the environment is relatively constant from

year to year. Arizona is dry, while coastal Washington State is wet. Earth’s environment has gone

through striking changes from the conditions when life first appeared to today’s relatively constant

environment. Many of these changes have affected life in dramatic ways.

Physical Forces Climate is one of the most important aspects of the physical environment, and

Earth’s climate has been anything but constant over the history of life. Many of these changes were

triggered by fairly small shifts in global temperature. For example, during the global “heat wave” of the

Mesozoic era, average global temperatures were only 6C to 12C higher than they were in the twentieth

century. During the great ice ages, which swept across the globe as recently as 10,000 years ago,

temperatures were only about 5C cooler than they are now. Yet, these temperature shifts had far-

reaching effects on living things.

Geological forces have also transformed life on Earth, building mountains and even moving

whole continents. Remember that local climates are influenced by the interaction of wind and ocean

currents with geological features like mountains and plains. Volcanic forces have altered landscapes

over much of Earth, even producing entire islands that provide new habitats. The Hawaiian Islands,

home to scores of unique plant and animal species, are a perfect example of how volcanic islands can

alter the course of evolution. Building mountains, opening coastlines, changing climates, and

geological forces have altered habitats of living organisms repeatedly throughout Earth history.

Over the long term, the process of continental drift has produced even more dramatic changes

in Earth’s biological landscape. As shown in the figure on the next page, continents have collided to

form “super continents” and then drifted apart again, profoundly changing the flow of ocean currents.

Continental drift has also affected the distribution of fossils and living organisms worldwide. For

example, the continents of Africa and South America are now separated by the Atlantic Ocean. But

fossils of Mesosaurus, and aquatic reptile, have been found in Africa and South America. The presence

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of these fossils on both continents

reflects the fact that both were joined

at one time. The theory of plate

tectonics explains these movements as

the result of solid “plates” moving

slowly, as little as 3 cm a year, over

Earth’s mantle.

Forces from space have even

altered Earth’s physical environment.

There is strong evidence that comets

and large meteors have crashed into

Earth many times in the past. Some of

these impacts may have been so violent

that they kicked enough dust and debris

into the atmosphere to cause, or

contribute to, worldwide extinction of

organisms on land and in the water.

Fossils and Ancient Life What do fossils reveal about ancient life?

Fossils are the most important source

of information about extinct species.

An extinct species is one that has

died out. Fossils vary enormously in

size, type, and degree of

preservation, and they form only

under certain conditions. For every

organism preserved as a fossil, many

died without leaving a trace, so the

fossil record is not complete.

Fossils in Sedimentary Rock Most fossils are preserved in

sedimentary rock. The figure to the left shows how. 1.

Sedimentary rock usually forms when small particles of sand, silt,

clay, or lime muds settle to the bottom of a river, lake, ocean, or

other body of water. Sedimentary rock can also form from

compacted desert sands. 2. As sediments build up, they bury dead

organisms that have sunk to the bottom. If the remains of these

organisms are buried relatively quickly, they may not be scattered

by scavengers. Usually, soft body structures decay quickly after

death, so only wood, shells, bones, or teeth remain. These hard

structures can be preserved if they are saturated or replaced with

mineral compounds. Sometimes, however, organisms are buried

Vocabulary:

Plate Tectonics

Definition:

Picture:

Extinct

Definition:

Picture:

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so quickly that soft tissues are protected from aerobic decay. When this happens, fossils may preserve

incredibly detailed imprints of soft-bodied animals and structures like skin or feathers.

3. As layers of sediment continue to build up over time, the remains are buried deeper and

deeper. Over many years, water pressure gradually compresses the lower layers. This pressure, along

with chemical activity, can turn the sediments into rock.

What Fossils Can Reveal Although the fossil record is incomplete, it contains an enormous amount

of information for paleontologists (pay lee un TAHL uh jists), researchers who study fossils to learn

about ancient life. From the fossil record, paleontologists learn about the structure of ancient

organisms, their environment, and the ways in which they lived. By comparing body structures in

fossils-a backbone, for example-to body structures in living organisms, researches can infer evolutionary

relationships and form hypotheses about how body structures and species have evolved. Bone

structures and footprints can indicate how animals moved. Fossilized plant leaves and pollen suggest

whether an area was a swamp, a lake, a forest, of a desert. Also, when different kinds of fossils are

found together, researchers can sometimes reconstruct entire ancient ecosystems.

Explain the theory of plate tectonics and tell how it has affected the distribution of fossils and

organisms.

Dating Earth’s History How do we date events in Earth’s history?

The fossil record wouldn’t be as useful without a time scale to tell us

what happened when. Researchers use several techniques to date

rocks and fossils.

Relative Dating Since sedimentary rock is formed as layers of

sediment are layered on top of existing sediments, lower layers of

sedimentary rock, and fossils they contain, are generally older than

upper layers. Relative dating places rock layers and their fossils in a

temporal sequence, as shown in the figure

to the left. Relative dating allows

paleontologists to determine whether a

fossil is older or younger than other fossils.

Vocabulary:

Relative Dating

Definition:

Picture:

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To help establish the relative ages of rock layers and their fossils, scientists use index fossils.

Index fossils are distinctive fossils used to establish and compare the

relative ages of rock layers and the fossils they contain. A useful

index fossil must be easily recognized and will occur only in a few

rock layers (meaning the organisms lived only for a short time), but

these layers will be found in many places (meaning the organism was

widely distributed.) Trilobites, a large group of distinctive marine

organisms, are often used as index fossils. There are more than

15,000 recognized species of trilobite. Together, they can be used to

establish the relative dates of rock layers spanning nearly 300 million

years.

1. Number the rock layers in the order that they formed. The first has been done for you.

2. Look at the rock layers to number the fossils in order from oldest to most recent. The oldest

fossil is labeled 1.

3. Suppose that you found a fossil of the same species as fossil 1 in a rock layer in another location.

What could you conclude about that rock layer?

Vocabulary:

Index Fossils

Definition:

Picture:

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Radiometric Dating Relative dating is important, but provides no information about a fossil’s absolute

age in years. One way to date rocks and fossils is radiometric dating. Radiometric dating relies on

radioactive isotopes, which decay, or break down,

into stable isotopes at a steady rate. A half-life is the

time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a

sample to decay. After one half-life, half of the

original radioactive atoms have decayed, as shown in

the figure to the right. After another half-life,

another half of the remaining radioactive atoms will

have decayed. Radiometric dating uses the

proportion of radioactive to stable isotopes to

calculate the age of a sample.

Different radioactive isotopes decay at different rates, so they have different half-lives.

Elements with short half-lives are used to date recent fossils. To understand this, think of timing sports

events. For a 50-yard dash, a coach depends on the fast-moving second hand of a stopwatch. To time a

marathon, slower moving hour and minute hands are also important.

A number of radioactive isotopes are used to determine the ages or rocks and fossils. An

isotope known as Carbon-14 is particularly useful for directly dating organisms that lived in the recent

past. Carbon-14 is produced at a steady rate in the upper atmosphere, so air generally contains a tiny

amount of it, in addition to the much more common stable, nonradioactive form, Carbon-12. Plants

take Carbon-14 in when they absorb Carbon Dioxide during photosynthesis, and animals acquire it when

they eat plants or other animals. Once an organism dies, it no longer takes in this isotope, so its age can

be determined by the amount of Carbon-14 still remaining in tissues such as bone, hair, or wood.

Carbon-14 has a half-life of roughly 5730 years, so its use is limited to organisms that lived in the last

60,000 years.

Older fossils can be dated indirectly by dating the rock layers in which they are found. Isotopes

with much longer half-lives are used for this purpose, including Potassium-40 (half-life: 1.26 billion

years), Uranium-238 (4.5 billion years), and Rubidium-87 (48.8 billion years). Over many years,

geologists have combined the use of these and other isotope methods to make increasingly accurate

estimates of the ages of geological formations. These studies have provided direct physical evidence for

the ages of the index fossils used to identify periods of Earth history.

Spill Number Number of Squares Left Spill Number Number of Squares Left

100 squares 200 Squares 100 Squares 200 Squares

1 40 114 5 3 6

2 30 56 6 1 4

3 11 21 7 1

4 5 9 8

1. If each spill is one year, what is the half-life of the 100-square sample? The 200-square sample?

2. How did the half-life of the 200 square sample compare to the half-life of the 100-square

sample?

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3. Do you think the amount of an element affects the element’s half-life? Why?

Geologic Time Scale How was the geologic time scale established, and what are its major divisions?

Geologists and paleontologists have built a time line of Earth’s history called the geologic time scale.

The most recent version is shown in the

figure to the left. The geologic time scale

is based on both relative and absolute

dating. The major divisions of the

geologic time scale are eons, eras, and

periods.

Establishing the Time Scale By

studying rock layers and index fossils,

early paleontologists places Earth’s rocks

and fossils in order according to their

relative age. As they worked, they

noticed major changes in the fossil record

at boundaries between certain rock

layers. Geologists used these boundaries

to determine where one division of

geologic time ended and the next began.

Years later, radiometric dating techniques

were used to assign specific ages to the various rock layers. This time scale is constantly being tested,

verified, and adjusted.

Divisions of the Geologic Time Scale Divisions of geologic have different lengths. The Cambrian

Period, for example, began 542 million years ago and continued until 488 million years ago, which

makes it 54 million years long. The Cretaceous Period was 80 million years long.

Geologists now recognize four eons. The Hadean Eon, during which the first rocks formed,

spans the time from Earth’s formation to about 4 billion years ago. The Archean Eon, during which life

first appeared, followed the Hadean. The Proterozoic Eon began 2.5 billion years ago and lasted until

Vocabulary:

Geologic Time Scale

Definition:

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542 million years ago. The Phanerozoic (fan ur uh ZOH ic) Eon began

at the end of the Proterozoic and continues to the present.

Eons are divided into eras. The Phanerozoic Eon, for

example, is divided into the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic Eras.

And Eras are subdivided into periods, which range in length from

nearly 100 million years to just under 2 million years. The Paleozoic

Era, for example, is divided into six periods, including the Permian

Period.

1. How old do we estimate the Earth is?

2. How many years was the Precambrian time?

3. How many years is the Phanerozoic Eon?

4. Why do you think the Phanerozoic Eon is larger than the

Precambrian Time on the geological time scale above?

Naming the Divisions Divisions of the geologic time scale were

named in different ways. The Cambrian Period, for example, was named after Cambria-an old name for

Wales, where rocks from that time were first identified. The Carboniferous (“carbon-bearing) Period is

named for large coal deposits that formed during that time.

Geologists started to name divisions of the time scale before any rocks older than the Cambrian

Period had been identified. For this reason, all of geologic time before the Cambrian was simply called

Precambrian Time. Precambrian Time, however, actually covers about 90 percent of Earth’s history, as

shown in the figure below.

1. Using the clock analogy, explain how life on Earth

evolved over billions of years.

Vocabulary:

Eras

Definition:

Picture:

Periods

Definition:

Picture:

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4/2/18

Objective: Students will be able to describe how the Earth has changed over time and the relationship

between the changing Earth and the origins of life.

Warm-Up: None

4/3/18

Objective: Students will be able to describe the theory of evolution and use evidence that illustrates

that living things have changed over time to support the theory.

Warm-Up: Personal Timeline

Events in Your Life

Started second grade First cell phone Started kindergarten

Were born Learned to ride a bike Started high school

Started middle school Today’s Date Learned to walk

Your choice:

Directions:

1. Arrange the events above in order by placing a number 1 in front of the event that occurred first

in your life, a number 2 for the second, etc.

2. On the Personal Timeline below, write your events in order with the most recent event on top

(this means that your birth should be on the bottom!) in the third column “Sequential Time”.

a. Your list is now similar to what a geologist might refer to as a Sequential Time Line.

3. In the middle column on the Personal Timeline below, Numerical Time, place a zero by today’s

date. Then, think of the number of years ago each event happened. Write these numbers in the

middle column in front of each event. For example, if you learned to ride a bike when you were

six, and you are now sixteen, you would put a 10 in the middle column because it happened 10

years ago.

a. You can use both sequential and numerical information to describe events. For

example, I can say that I started Kindergarten four years ago, after I learned to walk but

before I lost my first tooth.

4. Draw a horizontal line above the last event that happened before you started Kindergarten.

Draw another horizontal line above the last event that happened before you started middle

school. Your timeline should now be separated into 3 categories. Geologists group major

events into categories and give them a name. In the first column of your Personal Timeline,

Time Interval, label the top category MIDHIGHSCHOOLIAN. Label the middle category

GRADESCHOOLIAN. Label the bottom category PRESCHOOLIAN.

Your Personal Timeline now resembles a complete timeline for the events in your life. They are in

proper sequence. They have been given a date in time, and they have been grouped into three

major even groups.

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Personal Timeline

Time Interval Numerical Timeline Sequential Time

Questions:

1. Use the information in all three columns above to describe two events. For example: I got

married 4 years ago, at the beginning of Beyondian, after I graduated college but before I had

my son.

a. Event 1:

b. Event 2:

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9.2 Life over Time

Origins of Life

Earth formed 4.6 billion years ago (bya). At this time, conditions were not suitable for the formation

of life. Life probably began between ____________________________________.

o The earliest evidence of life on Earth comes from fossils discovered in Australia that date back to

about 3.5 bya. These fossils are structures know as stromatolites which are formed by the

growth of layer upon layer of single-celled microbes.

________________________________________________: That life on Earth could have arisen

step-by-step from non-living matter through a process of “gradual chemical evolution.” It is

suggested until early Earth’s conditions:

1. Simple inorganic molecules could have reacted with energy from lightning or the sun to form

building blocks like amino acids and nucleotides, which could have accumulated in the oceans

2. The building blocks could have combined in further reactions, forming larger, more complex

molecules (polymers) like proteins and nucleic acids.

3. The polymers could have assembled into units or structure that were capable of sustaining and

replicating themselves.

______________________________________: Provided the first evidence that organic molecules

needed for life could be formed from inorganic components.

1. Built a closed system containing heated water with a mixture of gases thought to be abundant in

the atmosphere of early Earth.

2. Simulated lightning by sending sparks of electricity through their experimental system

3. After running experiment for a week, found that various types of amino acids, sugars, lipids, and

other organic molecules had formed

Current Hypotheses:

o _________________________________: first life was self-replicating RNA and other

elements were added later

o _________________________________: first life began metabolic networks (chemical

reactions that support the cell) before DNA or RNA

o Some scientists think organic compounds might have come to early Earth on meteorites.

Life has been continuing to evolve since it first appeared:

o A timeline of Life’s Evolution: http://exploringorigins.org/timeline.html

Fossils Evidence

Fossils: ________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

13

Five types of Fossil evidence:

Hollow impression left behind by a living thing

Solid mineral deposit that filled a mold, leaving behind a copy of the

living thing

An impression in rock made by a living thing during its life activities

Plant or animal tissues replaced by minerals

An entire plant or animal encased and preserved in ice, sap, or another

material

o Most fossils are on earth are found in ____________________________.

Organisms that have died are then covered by sediments, which harden into rock.

Mass Extinctions

o Mass Extinction: ________________________________ _

within a relatively short period of geologic time.

- Thought to be due to factors such as catastrophic global event or widespread

environmental change that occurs too rapidly for most species to adapt

- At least _______________________ have been identified in the fossil record

- Of all species that have existed on Earth, ____________________________

- Some biologists believe that we are currently in the ____________________

4/4/18

Objective: Students will be able to analyze fossil evidence and provide possible explanations for the

changes that occurred in given organisms over time, including the mass extinction of some species and

the impact on biodiversity.

Warm-Up:

1. The diagram above shows cross section samples of rock from four different locations. Use the

rock types found in each of the four locations to put the fossils in order from oldest to newest.

14

2. How does this process relate to how geologists date fossils around the world?

Vocabulary Builder

Complete the following diagrams for the given vocabulary words.

Vocabulary Words Definition Picture How are you going to

remember it?

Relative Dating

Absolute Dating

Mass Extinction

Extinction

4/5/18

Objective: Students will be able to analyze fossil evidence and provide possible explanations for the

changes that occurred in given organisms over time, including the mass extinction of some species and

the impact on biodiversity.

Warm-Up: (3 Questions)

1. What is a mass extinction? How many mass extinctions have there been in the history of life on

Earth?

2. What types of organisms tend to survive mass extinction?

15

3. What happens to the diversity of life on Earth after a mass extinction? How do you think we

increase the number of species after a mass extinction?

4/8/19

Objective: Students will be able to describe the theory of evolution and use evidence that illustrates

that living things have changed over time to support the theory.

Warm-Up:

1. What is biodiversity and why is it important to life on Earth?

2. What is the immediate effect of a mass extinction on the biodiversity of life?

3. How does the biodiversity of life recover over time?

4/9/19 and 4/10/19-NO SCHOOL-SAT/PSAT/CMAS

4/11/19

Objective: Students will be able to describe the theory of evolution and use evidence that illustrates

that living things have changed over time to support the theory.

Warm-Up:

1. What does the geologic time scale represent?

a. The geologic history of the universe

b. The theorized development of life on Earth dating back 4.6 billion years ago

c. The fossil record as we know it and the information we gain from it

d. The age of the Earth and all the living organisms on it.

2. What do scientists think the first life form was?

a. Blue-green bacteria

b. Dinosaurs

c. Mammals

d. Insects

3. What part of organisms are most likely to become fossilized?

a. Shells

b. Teeth

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c. Bones

d. All of the above

4. Fossils can show how the Earth’s has changed over time.

a. Mountain Ranges

b. Climate

c. Continents

d. Ozone Layer

5. The Law of Superposition states:

a. Each undisturbed sedimentary rock layer is older than the layer above it.

b. Fossils are only as old as the rock they are found in.

c. The length of time it takes for one-half of the radioactive element to change into a

stable element.

d. Energy is neither created or destroyed, it simply changes form.

9.3 What is Evolution?

Evolution:

A _______________ in a species over time.

The process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms.

The Theory of Evolution:

A scientific theory: _________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

The theory has been around for more than 2,000 years (since Roman time)

Scientists once believed that each species was of divine creation and lived as it was originally

designed.

In 1831, _________________ came along and provided ____________ for the Theory

of Evolution.

Darwin’s Voyage of the HMS Beagle

In 1831, Charles Darwin was selected to be the naturalist on a voyage of the HMS Beagle.

On this voyage, he discovered:

o Fossils of ____________ in South America that were similar but not

identical to modern day Armadillos.

o Similar grassland ecosystems in Argentina and Australia but inhabited by very different

animals.

o The Galapagos Islands: very different _________ on each island and

_______________ but __________ species of animals

between the islands.

Giant tortoises, marine iguanas, and finches

Darwin made two major points in his book, _______________ _

1. He presented evidence that the many species of organisms presently inhabiting the Earth are

descendants of ancestral species

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o He viewed the history of life like a : with multiple branching's from a

common trunk to the tips of the youngest twigs that represent the diversity of living

organisms.

Example: Humans and chimpanzees share a ___________ common ancestor and

therefore have DNA that is ______________ Humans did NOT evolve from

chimpanzees.

2. He proposed a mechanism for the evolutionary process: ____________________

Evolution by Natural Selection

________________________: The process by which organisms with variations most suited to their

environment survive and leave more offspring

o Occurs naturally

o Does not make organisms “better”

o ______________________________________________________________________

Natural Selection requirements:

o _________________ _: More individuals are produced than can

survive, therefore members of a population must complete.

o _________________ _: Individuals vary, and some are better suited to life in an environment

than others.

o _________________: Any heritable characteristic that increases an organisms ability to survive

and reproduce in its environment- may be physical, physiological, or behavioral

o __________________ ___: Differences in rate of survival AND reproduction to

pass on adaptations

If conditions change faster than a species can adapt, the species may go extinct

: the intentional reproduction of individuals in a population that

have desirable traits.

o In organisms that reproduce sexually, two adults that possess a desired trait are bred together

o Considered “artificial” because people, instead of nature, select which organisms get to

reproduce.

Examples:

4/12/19

Objective: Students will be able to describe the theory of evolution and use evidence that illustrates

that living things have changed over time to support the theory.

18

Warm-Up:

The images below are incorrect. Put the images in order to correctly illustrate natural selection.

1. Explain your reasoning.

4/15/19

Objective: Students will be able to describe how the environment encourages certain traits in a

population and what happens to the population over time.

Warm-Up: Vocabulary Scramble

Use the definition to unscramble the vocabulary words. There are 9 words!

Vocabulary Word Scrambled Word Definition

oluivtoen A change in a species over time.

olcanintten rtidf The crust of the land moves slowly above the molten core in segments

aanlurt ecolnseti The process by which organisms with variations most suited to their environment survive and leave more offspring.

rcltiafiia nelcstieo The intentional reproduction of individuals in a population that have desirable traits.

eoocglig item eascl A timeline of Earth’s history that was determined using absolute dating.

natorviai There are many versions of a trait in a population

oifslss The remains or impressions of prehistoric organisms that have been preserved.

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gapneaa All land on Earth was all together in a single supercontinent

ndtapaotai Any heritable characteristic that increases an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce in environment.

4/16/19

Objective: Students will be able to describe how the environment encourages certain traits in a

population and what happens to the population over time.

Warm-Up:

As you read:

Underline Key Ideas

Box Vocabulary

Draw a question mark next to things you don’t understand OR want to learn more about.

5 Common Misconceptions about Evolution

Adapted from an article on The Conversation by Paula Kover

1. It’s just a theory

Yes, scientists call it the “theory of evolution”, but this is in recognition of its well accepted scientific

standing. The term “theory” is being used in the same way that gravitational theory explains why, when

an apple falls from your hand, it goes towards the ground. There is no uncertainty that the apple will fall

to the ground, in the same way that there is no uncertainty that bugs resistant to antibiotics will

continue to evolve if we do not curb our general use of antibiotics.

Although people use “theory” in everyday conversation to mean a not necessarily proven hypothesis,

this is not the case in scientific terms. A scientific theory typically means a well substantiated

explanation of some aspect of the natural world that sits above laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses.

2. Humans are descended from monkeys

No, your great-great-great-ancestor was not a monkey. Evolution theory indicates that we have

common ancestors with monkeys and apes – among the existing species, they are our closest relatives.

Humans and chimpanzees share more than 90% of their genetic sequence. But this common ancestor,

which roamed the earth approximately 7m years ago was neither a monkey nor a human, but an ape-

like creature that recent research suggests had traits that favored the use of tools.

3. Natural selection is purposeful

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There are many organisms that are not perfectly adapted to their environment. For example,

sharks don’t have a gas bladder to control their buoyancy (which bony fish typically use). Does this

refute the theory of evolution? No, not at all. Natural selection can only randomly favor the best of what

is available, it does not purposefully turn all living organisms into one super creature.

It would be really convenient if humans could photosynthesize; hunger could be immediately cured by

standing in the sun (and the much-sought miracle diet would have been found: stay inside). But alas, the

genetic ability to photosynthesize has not appeared in animals. Still, selection of the best option possible

has led to an amazing diversity of forms remarkably well adapted to their environments, even if not

perfect.

4. Evolution can’t explain complex organs

A common argument in favor of creationism is the evolution of the eye. A half developed eye would

serve no function, so how can natural selection slowly create a functional eye in a step-wise manner?

Darwin himself suggested that the eye could have had its origins in organs with different functions.

Organs that allow detection of light could then have been favored by natural selection, even if it did not

provide full vision. These ideas have been proven correct many years later by researchers

studying primitive light-sensing organs in animals. In mollusks like snails and segmented worms, light-

sense cells spread across the body surface can tell the difference between light and dark.

5. Religion is incompatible with evolution

It is important to make it clear that evolution is not a theory about the origin of life. It is a theory to

explain how species change over time. Contrary to what many people think, there is also little conflict

between evolution and most common religions. Pope Francis recently reiterated that a belief in

evolution isn’t incompatible with the Catholic faith. Going further, the reverend Malcom Brown from the

Church of England stated that “natural selection, as a way of understanding physical evolutionary

processes over thousands of years, makes sense.” He added: “Good religion needs to work

constructively with good science” and vice-versa. I fully agree.

4/17/19

Objective: Students will be able to relate genetics to natural selection and explain how a population

evolves.

Warm-Up:

The table below gives descriptions of four female mice that live in a beach area which is mostly tan sand

with scattered plants.

Color of Fur Black Tan Tan and Black Cream

Age at Death 6 months 2 years 1.5 years 6 months

# pups produced by each female 2 11 6 2

Running speed 8 cm/sec 6 cm/sec 7 cm/sec 5 cm/sec

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1. Which mouse would biologists consider the most “fit”? Explain your answer.

2. Explain why a characteristic which helps an animal to live longer will generally tend to become

more common in the population.

9.4 Genes and Variation

Quick Review

Remember that heritable traits are controlled by genes that are carried on chromosomes.

o These on the chromosomes generate

the in a population.

Typical plants and animals contain 2 sets of alleles-one from each parent.

o The is the combination of alleles an organism carries.

o The is the physical trait you see; it’s an interaction between

the genome and the environment.

Genetics and Natural Selection

Natural selection acts directly on , not genotype.

o Some individuals have phenotypes that are better suited to their environment than the

phenotypes of other individuals.

o The better suited individuals produce more offspring than the less fit individuals do.

o Therefore, the get to the next

generation.

Natural Selection acts directly on the because the

entire organism-not individual genes-either survives to reproduce or dies without reproducing.

Populations and Gene Pools

A population is a group of individuals of the same species that mate and produce offspring.

Because members of a population breed, they share a called

a gene pool.

o A consists of all the genes, including all the different

alleles for each gene that are present in a population.

Researchers study gene pools by looking at the they

contain.

o is the number of times an allele occurs in the

gene pool compared to the total number of alleles in that pool for the same gene.

, in genetic terms, involves a

in the in a population over time.

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Example:

o There are 50 mice total in a population.

40% have the allele for black fur.

60% have the allele for brown fur.

o If, over time, the fur allele to 30% and the

fur allele to 70%, we can conclude that

the population is .

o Because evolution is looking at the change in gene frequency of a population over time,

by definition, !

Other Sources of Genetic Variation

: a change in the genetic material of the cell.

o Can change the phenotype and be harmful causing the individual to die without

reproducing.

o Can change the phenotype and be beneficial.

o New research estimates that each human is born with about 300 mutations that makes

us different from our parents. Only one or two may be harmful/beneficial. The rest are

neutral.

in Sexual Reproduction

o Each chromosome separates independently of each other during gamete formation. (In

humans-this creates 8.4 million gene combinations)

o Crossing-over: paired chromosomes swap sections of DNA

: the passing of genes from one individual to another

that is not their offspring.

o Bacteria trade genes on a plasmid. This helps to create antibiotic resistance in bacteria

populations.

Single-Gene and Polygenic Traits

The number of phenotypes produced for a trait depends on how many genes control the trait.

o : a trait is controlled by only one gene.

Example: the dark bands on the shells of snails

o : a trait controlled by two or more genes.

Example: height in humans

Tend to produce a bell curve when graphed.

4/18/19

Objective: Students will be able to relate genetics to natural selection and explain how a population

evolves.

Warm-Up: (2 Questions)

1. How does the environment affect which traits becomes common in the population?

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2. There were many beak sizes in our class activity. How does having many different traits in a

population benefit the survival of the species?

9.5 Evolution as Genetic Change in Populations

Evolutionary “Fitness”

Each time an organism reproduces, it passes copies of its genes on to its offspring.

: the success in passing genes to the next generation.

: any genetically controlled trait that increases an

individual’s ability to pass along its alleles.

Natural Selection on Single-Gene Traits

Natural selection on single-gene traits can lead to and,

thus, to .

Example: Lizard Color

o Normal lizard color is brown. A mutation causes a red allele and a black allele.

Red lizards are more visible to predators and therefore, are less likely to live and

reproduce.

Black lizards might absorb more sunlight and warm up faster on cold days. This

allows them to move faster to both feed and escape predators. Black lizards

might produce more offspring

The allele for black color might increase in frequency and therefore the

phenotype might increase in frequency.

Natural Selection in Polygenic Traits

Remember that the fitness of the individuals varies greatly creating a .

Because the fitness of individuals is a , natural selection can affect the

relative fitness of phenotypes producing 3 different types:

o : when

individuals at one end of the curve have higher

fitness.

Usually happens when the environment

changes or a species moves to a new

location.

Example: size and shape of finch beaks

based on the availability of certain seeds.

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o : when

individuals near the center of the curve have a

higher fitness than individuals at either end.

Example: birth weight in human babies

o : when

individuals at the outer ends of the curve have

higher fitness than individuals near the middle of

the curve.

Example: birds with small and large beak

sizes with nothing in the middle.

Genetic Drift

: a random change in allele frequency

o In small populations, individuals that carry a particular allele may leave more

descendants than other individuals leave, just by chance. Over time, a series of chance

occurrences can cause an allele to become more or less common in a population.

: a chance in allele frequency following a dramatic

reduction in the size of a population.

o By chance, the gene pool of this greatly reduced population could be different than the

original gene pool thus all future generations will have different allele frequency.

: a small subgroup of a population migrates resulting in

a different gene pool and allele frequency than the original gene pool.

o Example: several hundred species of fruit flies on the Hawaiian Islands that evolved

from the same mainland fruit fly population.

Evolution Vs. Genetic Equilibrium

: the allele frequency in a population’s gene pool is not

changing.

o Meiosis and Fertilization alone do not change allele frequencies.

The Hardy-Weinberg Principle states that in a population should

remain unless one or more factors cause those frequencies to

change.

o Use it to see if the alleles are in genetic equilibrium.

o We can use this genetic equilibrium as a to see how much the

gene frequency is changing and therefore, if a population is .

o The Hardy-Weinberg Equation

You have 2 alleles for a gene: dominant A and recessive a

There are 3 possible genotypes for these alleles: AA, Aa, and aa.

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We can use the following mathematical equation to predict if evolution is

occurring:

(Frequency of AA) + (Frequency of Aa) + (Frequency of aa) = 100%

(Frequency of A) + (Frequency of a) = 100%

where p = dominant allele q = recessive allele

Example: In one generation, the frequency of the A allele is 40% and the

frequency of the a allele is 60%

p = q= .

If the population is in genetic equilibrium, the chances of an individual in the

next generation having the genotype should be:

AA: 16% (p2 = = 0.16 or 16%)

Aa: 36% (q2 = = 0.36 or 36%)

Aa: 48% (2pq = = 0.48 or 48%

If the genotypes of the next generation are -we

know that is occurring.

5 Things That Disturb Genetic Equilibrium

: individuals selecting a mate based on heritable

traits, such as size, strength, or coloration. Called Sexual selection.

: individuals who join a population could

introduce new alleles and those who leave could remove alleles.

: introduction of new alleles in the gene pool.

: if different genotypes have different fitness,

genetic equilibrium will be disrupted.

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4/19/19

Objective: Students will be able to relate genetics to natural selection and explain how a population

evolves.

Warm-Up:

Use the graph below to answer the questions about Finches.

1. What happens to the beak size after a dry year? What do you think this says about the

environment?

2. What type of seeds do you think Finches prefer to eat?

3. What happens to the size of the beak over time? How can you explain this trend?

4/22/19

Objective: Students will be able to describe the theory of evolution and use evidence that illustrates

that living things have changed over time to support the theory.

Warm-Up: None

4/23/18

Objective: Students will be able to use evidence to show how life has changed over time including the

fossil record, comparative anatomy, embryology, and biochemistry.

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Warm-Up:

Answer the following questions while watching the short film “The Making of the Fittest: Natural

Selection and Adaptation”.

1. What was the environmental change that prompted the change in life?

2. Why do the pocket mice in the dark lava environment have white underbellies?

3. How does a dark mouse appear in a population of light mice?

4. Did the mice on each of the dark lava flows have the same mutation?

7.5 Evidence for Evolution

Evidence

Fossil Record

Fossils show that life has been _____________ over time.

_______________: show the progression from one species to the next

________________: show the intermediate states between an ancestral form

and that of its descendants.

o Example: ______________

Comparative

Anatomy

Investigates the _______________and differences among organisms in bone

structure and in other parts of the body.

______________________: similar structures that share a similar

_______________ but may not share similar ______________

o Example: Humans, cats, whales, and bats share many of the same bones-

_______________________________

o _____________________: structures that have a similar function, but

not a similar origin are NOT EVIDENCE FOR A COMMON ANCESTOR.

Vestigial

Structures

Structures present but _________________ in size and have no use or a less

important function.

o The species ____________________ needs the feature

o Example: _____________________________________________

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Biochemistry

Comparisons of ______________of different species can used to establish

evolutionary relationships.

DNA is the universal language for making _______________.

All proteins made using just ____________ amino acids.

Similar DNA among species is evidence they decent from

______________________________

o Example: humans and chimps share 98.8% of their DNA!

Embryology Studies the development of gametes, fertilization, and development of

embryos and fetuses.

o Similar larvae, ____________________________

o Similar embryos, __________________________

o Shows common ancestry

Bacterial

Resistance

Antibiotic resistance is a consequence of evolution via natural selection

o Antibiotic action is an _______________________

o Bacteria which have a mutation allowing them to survive will live on to

reproduce

o Reproducing bacteria pass the trait to their offspring, which may result in

fully __________________________

4/24/19

Objective: Students will be able to use evidence to show how life has changed over time including the

fossil record, comparative anatomy, embryology, and biochemistry.

Warm-Up:

Tortoise Fish Hog Salamander Calf Human Rabbit Chick

1. After looking at the first card, determine which embryo belongs to which species.

2. After looking at the second card, determine which embryo belongs to which species.

3. After looking at the third card, determine which embryo belongs to which species.

4. Looking at embryology, what conclusion can we draw about the origin of most vertebrates on

Earth?

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4/25/19

Objective: Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of evolution on a unit review.

Warm-Up:

1. Go back to the front page of this packet and read through the essential outcomes. Put a

question mark next to the topics that you still have questions about. Put a check mark next to

the topics that you feel confident about.

2. How are you going to go about learning those topics that have a question mark next to them?

4/26/19

Objective: Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of evolution on a multiple choice test.

Warm-Up:

1. Turn your work in to the basket.