Chapter 5 Evolution

Overview

Ask any biologist to name the most important unifying concepts in biology, and the theory of evolution is likely to be high on the list. As geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky explained, “nothing in biology makes sense, except in the light of evolution.” However, many people in the United States are unaware of the importance of evolution as a unifying concept: public opinion surveys reveal that 25–40% of Americans either do not believe in evolution or think that evidence for it is lacking. (The percentage varies depending on how the question is worded.) In this chapter we examine both the theory of evolution and the opposition to it.

As explained in Chapter 1, scientists use the word ‘theory’ for a coherent cluster of hypotheses that has withstood many years of testing. In this sense, evolution is a thoroughly tested theory that has withstood over a century and a half of rigorous testing. Scientific evidence for evolution is as abundant as, and considerably more varied than, the evidence for nearly any other scientific idea. To refer to evolution as ‘just a theory’ is thus a grave misunderstanding of both scientific theories in general and evolutionary theory in particular. When physicists speak of the atomic theory or the theory of relativity, or when medical professionals speak of the germ theory of disease, they are speaking of great unifying principles. These principles are now well established, but they have withstood repeated testing for somewhat fewer years than the theory of evolution. Educated people no longer doubt the existence of atoms or of germs, and nobody refers to any of these concepts as ‘just a theory.’ In the way that the atomic theory is a unifying principle for much of physics and chemistry, the theory of evolution is a unifying principle for all of the biological sciences.

Chapter Outline

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Review Questions

THE PURPOSE of these review quizzes is to guide students in where their knowledge and understanding is strong, where it is weak, and where time should best be spent in studying.

CHAPTER 5:

  1. What were Charles Darwin’s two major innovative theories?  How did they differ from the ideas that came before him?  What evidence led him to these theories initially?  (If you cannot explain these things, or if you are not sure, then you need to reread Section 5.1.)
  2.  Can you explain the phenomenon of mimicry?  Can you explain industrial melanism?  How do these phenomena support Darwin’s theories?  How do they help argue against alternative explanations? (If you cannot explain these things, or if you are not sure, then you need to reread Section 5.2.)
  3. What evidence for branching descent can we find among living organisms?  What further evidence can we find in the fossil record?  (If you cannot explain these things, or if you are not sure, then you need to reread Section 5.2.)
  4. What arguments against evolution have proponents of creationism or ‘intelligent design’ raised?  How have these arguments varied over the years?  What evidence do scientists use to refute these claims?  (If you cannot explain these things, or if you are not sure, then you need to reread Section 5.3.)
  5. What are species?  What is speciation, and how do biologists explain most such events?  What ambiguities exist with respect to species and speciation, and how do biologists now explain them?  (If you cannot explain these things, or if you are not sure, then you need to reread Section 5.4.)
  6. What evidence is there for the origin of life on planet Earth?  What did Miller’s experiment show, and what did it not show?  What unanswered questions remain in this field?  By what steps do we think early life evolved, and how did it change Earth’s atmosphere?  What evidence do we have for any of these changes?  (If you cannot explain these things, or if you are not sure, then you need to reread Section 5.5.)

Open Response Study Questions

These questions are designed to assess your understanding of the topics explored in this chapter. You can use these questions in three ways:

Before you start …

Read through the questions before you read the chapter to help prime you to read the text more carefully and strategically. Remember that you are just starting out on your learning journey, so don’t feel disheartened if you don’t know how to answer them yet!

Whilst you read …

As you work through the chapter, have another go at answering the questions to see how you are progressing. You can also answer the questions with the textbook open in front of you, in order to create model answers that can be used to refer back to later.

At the end …

Answer the questions once you have finished reading to see what you have learned. Check your responses against your model answers and use these to identify any gaps in your understanding.

DEFINITIONS:

In your own words, define ANY TWO of the following terms:

homology        analogy           convergence       acquired characteristics            genetic drift     phylogeny

vestigial          RNA world     natural selection         mutualism

ESSAYS:

Answer any two of the following questions.  Make sure to answer all parts of any question you choose.

1. Discuss both peppered moths and mimicry, explaining clearly (A) what research shows about each and (B) how each illustrates and supports Darwin’s theory of natural selection against other possible explanations.

2. Discuss (A) South American mammals, (B) frogs on oceanic islands, and (C) Galapagos finches, showing in each case how they support Darwin’s theory AND how they fail to support at least one alternative explanation.

3. Describe and distinguish between the several types of reproductive isolating mechanisms.

4. Louis Pasteur bent the long stem of a flask into the shape of a swan’s neck as part of an experiment.  Why did he do this experiment?  What were his results, and what did he conclude from these results?

5. (A) Explain how Stanley Miller tested Oparin’s theory.  In particular, (B) explain his findings and  (C) explain what control he used to show that his results did not come from contamination.

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Bibliography

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Chapter 6
Classifying Nature’s Diversity