Describe, using examples, five fields of study which have

provided evidence that supports the theory of evolution (5 marks)

Evolution can be defined as the change in species over time. This theory can be
displayed through the five fields of studies that provide evidence; palaeontology,
biochemistry, biogeography, comparative embryology and comparative anatomy.

Palaeontology is the study of fossils to view the eventual change in organisms over
time. An example of palaeontology that is evidence of evolution is the fossil record of
the Hyracotherium, or the ancestor of the modern-day horse, Equus. The fossils
found can be dated according to the rock layer they are found in, allowing the
remnants of the past organisms to be displayed and organised in a way that easily
conveys the order of appearance for new evolutionary traits. Transitional fossils are
also a very good example of palaeontology aiding the research of common
ancestors, and when the two species diverged from one another. A transitional fossil
that has become a scientific breakthrough is the Archaeopteryx, a bird-like reptile
that suggests that birds evolved from reptiles, backed up by the lack of birds in the
fossil records found previous to this species.

Comparative anatomy, or homologous structures, is the study of the similarities and

differences in structure between different organisms. The pentadactyl limb is a
strong example of this. The ancestry of all vertebrates can be linked due to the
common pentadactyl limb make-up in modern day vertebrates, that have been
modified to suit the various environments that the organisms have adapted to. These
limbs can be a fin of a whale, a wing from a bat, or a leg of a dog. The link between
all vertebrate animals can be made through the observation of one bone at the top
of the limb (in humans, ulna), two bones next to each other in the forelimb (radius
and humorus), carpel bones, and then phalanges at the end of the limb.

Another comparison is of the embryos of vertebrates. This study is known as

comparative embryology, and is the study of embryos of vertebrate organisms to
observe the extreme similarities in early stages of development. These visible
similarities are a sturdy indication of the evolution from a common vertebrate
ancestor. Examples of this are the embryos of humans, sheep, tortoises and pigs, as
they all look strikingly similar in the way of gill slits and a present tail.

Biogeography is the study of the distribution of living things and fossils, where they
are found. This allows for scientists to discover the differences between species that
have adapted due to geographical isolation causing environmental pressure. A good
example of this is the famous Darwins finches. The ancestral finches were blown to
the Galapagos islands from mainland South America. These different islands had
different food sources for the finches, forcing the population on each specific island
to adapt to suit its environment. Another example is Australian marsupials. Due to
knowledge of plate tectonics, scientists have discovered the reason for Australias
strange flora and fauna is from the geographic isolation. This was caused by the
Australian continent drifting away from its previous supercontinent Gondwana,
millions of years before the other broke away. The organisms then had to rapidly
evolve traits to allow them to survive in the harsh, arid environment of Australia.

Biochemistry is the focus on the basic chemical make-up of all living organisms, and
the use of their DNA to pinpoint how long ago two species shared a common
ancestor. DNA hybridisation develops a molecular clock, by fusing a single helix of a
species with a single helix of another species and recording how many of the bases
match up to their opposing bases (Adenine with Thymine, Cytosine with Guanine), to
discover how long ago the species shared a common ancestor, this can also be
judged by how much heat is needed to split the hybrid DNA strand, as the harder it is
to separate, the closer the DNA is to matching up, meaning that two strands that
need a lot of heat to detach are more closely related than two strands that fall away
with little heat applied. Through DNA sequencing, scientists have discovered that
humans are more closely related to chimpanzees than chimps are to gorillas, as
humans and chimps share approx. 98% of the same DNA strands.