BIOL 1122 - Written Assignment Unit 1: Evolution

Change is the law of nature. It is the only constant thing in this world for everything changes

from time to time. Organisms also undergo through series of changes through the process of evolution.

According to the Merriam – Webster Dictionary, evolution is defined as a process by which new species

or populations of living things develop from preexisting forms through successive generations. There

are several types of evidence that support the theory of evolution. These evidences provide a clear

picture of evolution in order to have a broad and better understanding of the said theory. The following

are the types of evidence that support the theory of evolution (OpenStax College, 2013): 

 1. Anatomy and Embryology. This type of evidence refers to the presence of structures in organisms

that share similarities in the basic form. In terms of anatomy, an example of this type of evidence is the

ptarmigan and arctic fox living in arctic regions that have seasonal white phenotypes during winter.

These similarities are rooted in selective pressure which is the benefit of not being seen by predators. In

terms of embryology, all vertebrate embryos exhibit gill slits and tails at some point in their early

development. However, these disappear in terrestrial groups but are maintained to aquatic groups. This

is also evident to great ape embryos that have tails during development that is lost by birth 

 2. Fossils. It provides a solid explanation that organisms from the past are not the same as present-day

organisms. These fossils show a progression of evolution in a comparative perspective of an animal's

timeline. The record of the fossil tells the story of the past and presents the evolution that happened over

the past years. A modern example of this type of evidence is the recovered highly detailed records by the

scientists. These records show the evolution of humans and horses. These organisms have evolved

through time in order for them to survive (a selective pressure) in the habitat or environment that they

are living. 
 3. Molecular Biology. This type of evidence is based on the molecular structure of life that represents

descent with modification. The relatedness of an organism is reflected in the similarity of their DNA

sequences coming from a coon ancestor. An example of this type of evidence is the evolution of protein

functions. It usually occurs after gene duplication events that enable the free modification of one copy to

undergo several processes of evolution mechanisms such as mutation, selection, and genetic drift, while

the second copy continues to produce a functional protein. 

Similar to the evidences of evolution, there are also various mechanisms for evolution. These

mechanisms for evolution have several factors which may include human factors that can then affect,

influence, or have an impact on their respective processes. The following are some of the mechanisms

for evolution (LibreTexts Libraries, n.d.).

1. Natural Selection. This mechanism of evolution refers to the advantages and disadvantages of an

individual with the phenotype relative to other phenotypes in the population. Alleles here are expresses

in a phenotype. An individual will likely have more offspring than individuals with the other

phenotypes. This means that the allele behind the phenotype will have a greater representation in the

next generation. This ensures that an organism is at an advantage as it ensures that its hereditary traits

are then being passed on to succeeding generations. These are the factors behind this mechanism that

could possibly affect the process. Human factors do not have a direct influence on this mechanism of

evolution.

2. Mutation. This refers to changes of an organism's DNA which are important drivers of diversity in a

population. DNA's are the main factor to consider for this mechanism or process of evolution. Changes

in the DNA can either be harmful or beneficial. Both effects are determined by whether it helps an

organism to survive to sexual maturity. Humans may influence this factor through genetic engineering

which they can alter the DNA sequence of an organism.

to consider in this mechanism include chances and probability, population size, and also disasters which

can include man-made disasters. It is simply the effect of chance and small populations have higher

chances of having a genetic drift. Disasters also have an influence on this mechanism as it can kill and

wiped out a large portion of the population. This biological phenomenon is known as the bottleneck

effect in which only the genetic structure of the survivors becomes the genetic structure of the whole

population, which can be very different before the disaster took place. Human factors can affect this

mechanism of evolution as there are man-made disasters or activities like excess or continuous killing

and engaging in illegal hunting of endangered organisms. Such activities can wipe out a significant size

of a population causing a genetic drift. 

4. Migration (Gene Flow). It refers to the flow of alleles due to the migration of individuals. The

concept of migration is the main factor in this mechanism. It does not only changes the gene structure of

the population, but it can also introduce new genetic variation to a certain population. Human factors do

not directly involve in this process.

Thus, change is permanent and it is the only constant thing in this world. From time to time, we

all undergo changes and these changes are important for us. Some can adapt and survive these changes

while some cannot. The theory of evolution is rooted in the concept of change. Either natural or man-

made change, both are responsible factors why organisms needed to adapt. Some organisms can adapt

and withstand these changes, while some organisms cannot adapt and withstand these changes, and this

constant inability to adapt these changes may lead to its extinction. Although the concept of evolution is

regarded as a theory, it does certainly explain and allows us to understand the various phenomena that

take place in the natural world.

Word Count: 1000

LibreTexts Libraries. (n.d.) Mechanisms of Evolution. Retrieved

from https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_and_General_Biology/Book

%3A_Concepts_in_Biology_(OpenStax)/11%3A_Evolution_and_Its_Processes/11.2%3A_Mechanisms

_of_Evolution

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Evolution. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved September 6, 2020,

from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evolution.

OpenStax College. (2013). Biology. Retrieved from http://cnx.org/contents/185cbf87-c72e-48f5-b51e-

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