Science

Quarter 3 – Module 3 Week ___

SOURCES OF EVIDENCE FOR EVOLUTION
Writer: ALFREDO Q. CAPANANG JR.
Teacher III, Bautista NHS

Evolution is a key unifying principle in biology. As Theodosius Dobzhansky once said, “Nothing in biology
makes sense except in the light of evolution.”

But what, exactly, are the features of biology that make more sense through the lens of evolution? To put it
another way, what are the indications or traces that show evolution has taken place in the past and is still
happening today?

What I Know
Directions: Read each item carefully. Write only the letter of correct answer for each question. Use a separate
sheet for your answers.
1. Which of the following statement DOES NOT describe evolution?
A. Evolution is continuous.
B. Evolution refers to change.
C. The world is stable and unchanging.
D. If there is mutation there is evolution.
2. Where can most of the fossils be found?
A. Sedimentary rocks B. Granite Rocks C. Lava Flows D. Black Soil
3. The wing of the bat and the fore-limb of the dog are said to be homologous structures. This
indicates that:
A. They have the same function
B. They are structures which are similar due to common ancestry
C. The limb bones of each are anatomically identical
D. They have a different ancestry but a common function
4. Which of the following phrases best describes the process of evolution?
A. The development of man from monkey-life ancestors
B. The change of simple to complex organisms
C. The development of characteristics in response to need
D. The change of populations solely in response to natural selection
5. Which is a more definite characteristics to show relatedness of two organisms?
A. Similarity in development C. Similarity in structure
B. Similar in courting Behavior D. Similarity in genomic DNA
6. Biologists have discovered that:
A. animals obtain their specific characteristics by obtaining genes from the plants that they eat
B. the basic simple language of the DNA code is the same for all organisms
C. all species evolve at the same relatively slow rate
D. B and C
7. The fossil record shows that:
A. most species have not evolved
B. some species are evolutionary transitions between major groups of organisms
C. all species are today just as they were when they were created
D. all species are not related to each other
8. Which of the following animals has the highest percentage of similarity in amino acids with humans?
A. Horse B. Dolphin C. Chimpanzee D. Rattlesnake
9. The half-life of 238U is 4.46 billion years. If a rock had a million such atoms when it was formed,
how many would be left after two half-lives (8.92 billion years)?
A. 1/3 of the original million, or 333,333 atoms
B. 1/4 of the original million, or 250,000 atoms
C. 1/2 of the original million, or 500,000 atoms
D. 2/3 of the original million, or 666,667 atoms
10. Which of the following statements supports the idea that extinction is necessary?
 A. To give way for other organisms to develop
B. To let organisms evolve and progress
C. To know who is the fittest
D. All of the above

Lesson 1 EVIDENCE FROM FOSSIL RECORDS

Activity 1 WHAT’S THE TERM?

Direction: Fill -in the blank for the study of key terms related to evolution. Choose your answer from the box
below.
Fossil Reconstruction Paleontologists Geological Time Scale Remains
Fossil Record Imprint Radiometric Dating Relative Dating Superposition Sedimentary
1. Fossils are preserved ____________ of an organisms and most common fossil remains include bones, teeth
and shells.
2. Most fossils are found in layers of __________________ rock
3. Scientists who study fossils are called_________________ .
4. Geologists developed a ___________________ dividing all Earth history into units of time called eras,
periods and epochs.
5. The _____________helps paleontologists, archaeologists, and geologists place important events and species
in the appropriate geologic era.
6. _____________ is a method of determining the age of a fossil by comparing its placement with that of fossils
in other layers of rock.
7. Geologists use ____________ to estimate how long ago rocks formed, and to infer the ages of fossils
contained within those rocks or using the decay of radioactive isotopes present in rocks.
8. When soft, thin body structures such as feathers and leaves leave impressions on mud and hardens into rock,
the ________________ are preserved as fossil.
9.Through the law of _________________, scientists have determined the fossils from recent layers are more
complex than those in the older layers.
10. Though only remnants of organism are excavated, scientists used the _________________, to complete the
structure of the organism, which help them compare it with those of living organism.
Evidences from Fossil Records
Fossils tell us when organisms lived, as well as provide evidence for the progression and evolution of life on
earth over millions of years.

What Fossils Tell Us

Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms from the past. Fossils range
in age from 10,000 to 3.48 billion years old. The observation that certain fossils were associated with certain
rock strata led 19th century geologists to recognize a geological
timescale. Like extant organisms, fossils vary in size from
microscopic, like single-celled bacteria, to gigantic, like
dinosaurs and trees.

“Sue” T-rex skeleton: The bones of this Tyrannosaurus rex

were preserved through the process of permineralization, which
suggests that this organism was covered by sediment soon after
death.

Most fossils were commonly found in sedimentary rocks. They were from the hard parts of the organism like
woody stem, bones, or teeth.
Fossils provide solid evidence that organisms from the past are not the same as those found today; fossils show
a progression of evolution. Fossils, along with the comparative anatomy of present-day organisms, constitute
the morphological, or anatomical, record. By comparing the anatomies of both modern and extinct species,
paleontologists can infer the lineages of those species. This approach is most successful for organisms that had
hard body parts, such as shells, bones or teeth. The resulting fossil record tells the story of the past and shows
the evolution of form over millions of years.

Key Points

 Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms from the past.
 Fossils are important evidence for evolution because they show that life on earth was once
different from life found on earth today.
 Usually only a portion of an organism is preserved as a fossil, such as body fossils (bones and
exoskeletons ), trace fossils (feces and footprints), and chemofossils (biochemical signals).
 Paleontologists can determine the age of fossils using methods like radiometric dating and
categorize them to determine the evolutionary relationships between organisms.

Carbon Dating and Estimating Fossil Age

The age of fossils can be determined using stratigraphy, biostratigraphy, and radiocarbon dating.

Determining Fossil Ages

Paleontology seeks to map out how life evolved across geologic time. A substantial hurdle is the difficulty of
working out fossil ages. There are several different methods for estimating the ages of fossils, including:

1. stratigraphy
2. biostratigraphy
3. carbon dating

Stratigraphy

Paleontologists rely on stratigraphy to date fossils. Stratigraphy is the science of understanding the strata, or
layers, that form the sedimentary record. Strata are differentiated from each other by their different colors or
compositions and are exposed in cliffs, quarries, and river banks. These rocks normally form relatively
horizontal, parallel layers, with younger layers forming on top.

If a fossil is found between two layers of rock whose ages are known, the fossil’s age is thought to be between
those two known ages. Because rock sequences are not continuous, but may be broken up by faults or periods of
erosion, it is difficult to match up rock beds that are not directly adjacent.

Sedimentary layers: The layers of sedimentary rock, or strata, can be seen as horizontal bands of differently colored or
differently structured materials exposed in this cliff. The deeper layers are older than the layers found at the top, which aids in
determining the relative age of fossils found within the strata.
Biostratigraphy

Fossils of species that survived for a relatively short time can be used to match isolated rocks: this technique is
called biostratigraphy. For instance, the extinct chordate Eoplacognathus pseudoplanus is thought to have
existed during a short range in the Middle Ordovician period. If rocks of unknown age have traces of E.
pseudoplanus, they have a mid-Ordovician age. Such index fossils must be distinctive, globally distributed, and
occupy a short time range to be useful. Misleading results can occur if the index fossils are incorrectly dated.

Relative Dating

Stratigraphy and biostratigraphy can in general provide only relative dating (A was before B), which is often
sufficient for studying evolution. This is difficult for some time periods, however, because of the barriers
involved in matching rocks of the same age across continents. Family-tree relationships can help to narrow
down the date when lineages first appeared. For example, if fossils of B date to X million years ago and the
calculated “family tree” says A was an ancestor of B, then A must have evolved earlier.

Radiometric Dating

Together with stratigraphic principles, radiometric dating

methods are used in geochronology to establish the geological
time scale. Beds that preserve fossils typically lack the
radioactive elements needed for radiometric dating (”
radiocarbon dating ” or simply “carbon dating”). The principle
of radiocarbon dating is simple: the rates at which various
radioactive elements decay are known, and the ratio of the
radioactive element to its decay products shows how long the
radioactive element has existed in the rock. This rate is
represented by the half-life, which is the time it takes for half of
a sample to decay.

Half-life of Carbon-14: Radiometric dating is a technique used to date materials

such as rocks or carbon, usually based on a comparison between the observed
abundance of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope and its decay products, using known decay rates.

The half-life of carbon-14 is 5,730 years, so carbon dating is only relevant for dating fossils less than 60,000
years old. Radioactive elements are common only in rocks with a volcanic origin, so the only fossil-bearing
rocks that can be dated radiometrically are volcanic ash layers. Carbon dating uses the decay of carbon-14 to
estimate the age of organic materials, such as wood and leather.
Activity 2 WHAT’S MY AGE?
Objectives: Determine the age of fossil.
Materials: paper and pen
Directions: Use the information below to answer the age of the fossils.
One way scientists determine the age of fossils is by checking the amount of radioactive carbon-14 in the fossil.
Carbon-14 breaks down or decays to form nitrogen-14; the rate of this decay is constant e.g. half of the
remaining Carbon-14 breaks down every 5,730 years. Use this information and compute the age of the fossils
below.
Fossil

Comparison of Carbon-14
and Nitrogen-14 in sample

Age of Fossil
in years

Q1. What is the oldest Fossil?

Q2. Why is it important to know the age of the fossil?

https://sites.google.com/site/scootersapessite/home/earth-systems-resources
Lesson 2 HINT OF EVOLUTION FROM COMPARATIVE ANATOMY
The study of comparative anatomy predates the modern study of evolution. Early evolutionary scientists
like Buffon and Lamarck used comparative anatomy to determine relationships between species. Organisms
with similar structures, they argued, must have acquired these traits from a common ancestor. Today,
comparative anatomy can serve as the first line of reasoning in determining the relatedness of species. However,
there are many hidden dangers that make it necessary to support evidence from comparative anatomy with
evidence from other fields of study.

Activity 3 WHAT’S THE RELATIONSHIP

Direction: Underline the word or phrase inside the parenthesis which is not related to the given term for each
number.
1. Evolution (Gradual process, stable, change, continuous)
2. Fossils (imprints, trace, casts, direct)
3. Era (Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Jurassic, Paleozoic)
4. Geological time scale (sequence of geologic events, presented in the form of a chart, evolution of the Solar
System, scale starts with Pre-cambrian.)
5. Relative dating (method of determining the age of a fossil, comparing fossils in other layers of rock, process
of determining old geologic event, used to determine a fossil’s approximate age)
6. Radiometric dating (organic origin, radioactive element, decay rate, whole life)
7.Homologous structure (similar in structure and location, doesn't necessarily share the same purpose,
connection to a common ancestor, look exactly the same)
8. Analogous structure (Similar Functions, no shared ancestry, may look similar externally, Inherited from a
common ancestor)
9. Convergent evolution (organisms that are not closely related, creates homologous structures, independently
acquire similar characteristics. adapt to similar environmental conditions)
10. Divergent evolution (two separate species evolve, common ancestor, develops analogous structures, living
under different conditions)

Homologous and Analogous Traits

A major problem in determining evolutionary relationships based on comparative anatomy can be seen
when we look at a commonly found structure: the wing. Wings are present in a number of very different groups
of organisms. Birds, bats and insects all have wings, but what does this say about how closely related the three
groups are? It is tempting to say that the three groups must have had a common winged ancestor. However,
were you actually to take the bait and say it, you would be wrong. Dead wrong. The wings of bats and birds are
both derived from the forelimb of a common, probably wingless, ancestor. Both have wings with bone
structures similar to the forelimbs of ancestral and current tetrapod, or four-legged, animals. Such traits that are
derived from a trait found in a common ancestor are called homologous traits. Structurally speaking, though, the
wings of bats and birds have little in common with those of insects. Bird wings and insect wings are an
analogous trait, or a trait that has developed independently in two groups of organisms from unrelated ancestral
traits.
Activity 4 HOMOLOGOUS VS. ANALOGOUS

Direction: Distinguish analogous structure from homologous structure by completing the table. Choose your
answer from the heading.
Lesson 3 Embryology
Another difficulty in comparing traits between species rests on the fact that homologous structures not present
in the adult organism often do appear in some stage of embryonic development. In this way, the embryo serves
as a microcosm for evolution, passing through many of the stages of evolution to produce the current state of
the organism. Species that bear little resemblance in their adult form may have strikingly similar embryonic
stages. For example, in humans, the embryo passes through a stage in which it has gill structures like those of
the fish from which all terrestrial animals evolved. For a large portion of its development the human embryo
also possesses a tail, much like those of our close primate relatives. This tail is usually reabsorbed before birth,
but occasionally children are born with the ancestral structure intact. Tails and even gills could be considered
homologous traits between humans and primates or humans and fish, even though they are not present in the
adult organism.

Activity 5 LET’S COMPARE

Direction: Study each figure and compare their differences.

Part I: Use the figure below to answer questions 1-3.

Embryonic development of different vertebrates

1.In what stages of development of the vertebrates show similarities?

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

2.Identify the structure, how and where are they similar?

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

3.In stage three, identify the structures that made the vertebrates different from each other.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Direction: Part II: The table shows how many differences there are in the Cytochrome C in other species
compared to humans. Study the table to answer questions 4-5.

4.Bases on the differences in their Cytochrome C, what TWO organisms appear to be the most closely related to
humans?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

5.Among the organisms that you compared to humans, which one appears to be least closely related to humans?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

Direction: Part III: The table indicates the position of a particular amino acid in the chain Study the table to
answer questions 6-10.
6. Which organism is closely related to humans?

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

7. Which organism is least related to humans?

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

8. If the amino acid sequence of the two organisms are similar, would their DNA be also similar?

Why?

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

9. Compare Chimpanzee and Gorilla relatedness to human.

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

10. Do you think the chimpanzee, Gorilla and humans have a common ancestry? Explain your answer.

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
ANSWER KEY:
Activity 1: WHAT’S THE TERM? Activity 2: What’s my Age?
1. Remains 6. Relative dating Age of fossil: 1. 5,730 years
2. Sedimentary 7. radiometric dating 2. 11,460 years
3. Paleontologists 8. Imprint 3. 17,190 years
4. Geological time scale 9. Superposition Q1. The third Fossil
5. fossil record 10. Fossil reconstruction Q2. Answer may vary.
Activity 3: RELATED TERMS
1. Continuous 6. whole life
2. Direct 7. look exactly the same,
3. Jurassic 8. Inherited from a common ancestor
4. evolution of the Solar System, 9. creates homologous structures
5. process of determining old geologic event 10. Develops analogous structures

Activity 4: Similar Structure/ Similar Function/ Homologous/

HOMOLOGOUS VS. Different Structure Different Function Analogous
ANALOGOUS
STRUCTURES
Bat Wing and Bird Different Structure Similar Function Analogous
Wing
Human Arm and Similar Structure Different Function Homologous
Horse Leg
Penguin Fins and Different Structure Similar Function Analogous
Dolphin Flippers
Lizard Limbs and Different Structure Similar Function Analogous
Octopus Tentacles
Bird Limb and Whale Similar Structure Different Function Homologous
Limb

LET’S COMPARE
1. The first and second stages of development of the organisms show better similarities.
2. Possible answers: the shape of head, lower parts of the body, and forelimbs.
3. Possible answers: organisms are different in size, shape of the head, hind limbs, forelimbs, structure of the
eyes, etc.
4. Chimpanzee and Rhesus Monkey
5. Red Bread mold with 48 differences in amino acid sequence.
6. Chimpanzee
7. Kangaroo
8. Yes, the similarity in amino acid sequence may suggest similarity in their DNA sequence
9. In DNA, Gorillas most related to humans while Amino acid shows that chimpanzee is more related to
humans.
10. Yes, similarity in amino acid sequence may suggest the closer relationship of the organisms
REFERENCES:

Alfonso, Florante, L. et al (2017) World of Science for Critical Thinkers 10. Quezon City,The Library
Publishing House pp. 225 -.231

Bandoim, L. (2019) Anatomical Structures: Homologous, Analogous & Vestigial. Retrieved from:
https://sciencing.com/anatomical-structures-homologous-analogous-vestigial-13719068.html

Khan Academy (2017) Evidence for evolution. Retrieved from:

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/her/evolution-and-natural-selection/a/lines-of-evidence-for-
evolution

Pavico, Josefina Ma. F.et al (2015) Exploring Life Through Science, The New Grade 10, Quezon City, Phoenix
Publishing House. Pp.326 – 333

Republic of the Philippines, Department of Education, (2015) Science 10 Learner’s Material,

Rex Bookstore. Pp. 302 – 315

Yenko, J. (2018) Embryonic Development & Life Cycles of Invertebrates & Vertebrates. Retrieved from:
https://study.com/academy/lesson/embryonic-development-life-cycles-of-invertebrates-vertebrates.html

Lumen: Boundless Biology. Retrieved from

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-biology/chapter/evidence-of-evolution/

Sparknotes: evidences for Evolution Retrieved from

https://www.sparknotes.com/biology/evolution/evidence/section3/