EVIDENCE FOR

EVOLUTION FOLDABLE

Definitions

Species: A group of organisms that are closely related and can mate to
produce fertile offspring.

Population: A group of organisms of the same species that live in a

specific geographical area.

Adaptation: A characteristic that improves an individuals ability to

survive and reproduce in a particular environment.

Evolution: The process in which inherited characteristics within a

population change over generations such that new species sometimes
arise.

What are fossils and how do they form?

Fossils are the remains or physical evidence of an organism

preserved by geologic processes.

Fossils form when a dead organism is covered by a layer of

sediment. Over time, more sediment settles on top of the
organism. Minerals in the sediment may seep into the
organism and gradually replace the organism with stone.
If the organism rots away completely after being covered,
it may leave an imprint of itself in the rock.

What is the fossil record?

The fossil record is a historical sequence of life

indicated by fossils found in layers of the Earths
crust. The fossil record organizes fossils by their
estimated ages and physical similarities.

Fossils found in newer layers of Earths crust

tend to be similar to present-day organisms.
The older fossils, which are found deeper in
Earths crust, are of earlier life-forms, which may
not exist anymore.

How do scientists use the fossil record to

understand evolution?

The fossil record provides evidence about the order in which species have
existed.

Scientists examine the fossil record to figure out the relationships between
extinct and living organisms by looking for similarities between the species.

Copy the diagram on page 169 into your foldable.

The most closely related species would be toothed whales and baleen whales.

The most distantly related species would be camels and whales.

Other Evidence for Evolution

How are skeletal structures used as evidence for evolution?

Skeletal structures that do not look alike may be similar under the
surface. For example, the structure and order of bones of a human arm
are similar to those of the front limgs of a cat, a dolphin and a bat. These
similarities suggest that cats, dolphins, bats and humans had a common
ancestor.

How is DNA used as evidence for evolution?

Scientists find that species that have many traits in common do have
similarities in the DNA. For example, the DNA of hous ecats is more
similar to the DNA of tigers than to the DNA of dogs.

Evolution of the Whale

1.

Pakicetus: Pakicetus was a land-dwelling mammal that could run on four

legs. Pakicetus was about the size of a wolf.

2.

Ambulocetus: This mammal lived in coastal waters but had arms and legs.
It could swim by kicking its legs and it could waddle on land. Ambulocetus
was about the size of a dolphin.

3.

Dorudon: This mammal lived in the oceans. It resembled a giant dolphin

and propelled itself with its massive tail. Dorudon had tiny front and hind
limbs that were not used for walking or swimming.

4.

Modern toothed whale: Modern whales forelimbs are flippers. Modern

whales do not have hind limbs, but they do have hip bones.

Evolution of the Horse

The picture and text can be found on my website.

Cut out the picture, color it and attach it to the foldable.

Cut out the text, T-4 it and attach it to the foldable.