EVIDENCE FOR EVOLUTION

1) The key difference between the current sixth mass extinction and the
previous mass extinctions.
- The current sixth mass extinction is mostly anthropogenic, whereas the previous
ones were primarily caused by natural events
- sixth mass extinction is mostly anthropogenic OR mainly caused by human
activity WHEREAS the previous ones were (primarily) caused by natural
events
- the sixth mass extinction event is FASTER than the previous ones
2) Causes of the extinction.
- One possible cause of the extinction of the Moa is them being hunted for food by
humans.
- Hunting for food
- Fragility of eggs means that they were prone to damage
- Introduction of predators OR Polynesian dogs OR invasive OR non-native
species
- Loss of habitat due to human activity
3) The physical evidence scientists have collected indicating that the Moa
existed.
- Fossils provide physical evidence for the existence of the Moa.
- fossils
- rock art OR artefacts depicting Moa
- DNA analysis from Moa remains
- isotopic analysis from Moa remains
4) What evidence scientists may have found to disprove the assumed
evolutionary relationship.
- Scientists may have found that the Kiwi had dissimilar DNA sequences to the Moa,
and more similar DNA sequences to another organism.

- dissimilar DNA OR amino acid sequences ​

- detailed morphological comparisons show notable differences in skeletal

structures OR body size, OR other anatomical features ​

- phylogenetic analysis placed the Kiwi and Moa on separate branches of

the phylogenetic tree​

- fossil evidence OR fossil dating has shown different ancestral lineages​

- another species discovered that appears more closely related to the Moa
5) The Moa’s closest living relatives are the South American Tinamou
(Tinamus major), which have the ability to fly. Explain why these birds
are less likely to go extinct than the Moa.
 - Tinamous are less likely to go extinct than the Moa, as they can build their nests
high up in trees so that their young are less vulnerable.

- Tinamous can fly so can escape predators OR hunters more easily

- Tinamous can build their nests high up in trees so that their young are less
vulnerable

6) Another animal at risk of extinction is the Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros

sondaicus). There are thought to be fewer than 80 in the world. Two
methods scientists could use to prevent its extinction, with a reason for
each.
- Scientists could prevent the extinction of the Javan rhinoceros by introducing
breeding programmes to increase the rhino population or start habitat restoration
projects to provide enough area with enough resources to support the rhino.

- habitat protection OR restoration projects, REASON to provide safe spaces for rhino OR
to provide enough resources for rhino in natural area
- place rhinos into zoos OR nature reserves, REASON to protect from poaching, OR
hunting, OR habitat loss, OR for research OR for monitoring OR public awareness OR
education OR funding OR to have animals that can be released into the wild after
catastrophic events, OR severe disease, in natural habitat
- change laws to protect rhinos, REASON to reduce hunting OR poaching OR export of
rhino horn OR use of rhino horn
- sequence DNA of as many Javan rhinos as possible REASON to preserve genetic
diversity OR different alleles
-
7) Which animal forelimb is adapted for swimming?

- D represents the bones in a flipper. The bone structure is similar to that of a land mammal, but
the bones are shortened and modified to give the flipper a larger surface area for increased
propulsion. The human arm ( A) is adapted to reach and pick up objects, the dog foreleg ( B) is
adapted for running and the bird wing (C) is adapted for flying.

8) Capillaries have a narrow diameter, and their walls are one cell thick . Both
of these features reduce the distance substances being exchanged need to
diffuse.
9) Adaptive radiation(refers to the rapid diversification and speciation of a single ancestral
species into multiple descendent species, taking advantage of different ecological niches
within a community) brings about the differences between the limbs of the whale
and the bird.
- Whales and birds share a common ancestor, and as a result, they have inherited many
of the same genes from this common ancestor, which determine limb structure. The
limbs are different now due to reproductive isolation, long periods of time, and the fact
that, for the most part, ancestors of whales and birds lived in different environments,
which means different selection pressures acted on the ancestors of whales and birds
favouring different traits.
- random mutation resulted in new phenotypes OR new alleles OR bone structures
- populations can no longer interbreed, so form new species OR speciation occurs
- new species develop traits specialised to their environment OR ecological niche OR
different selection pressures selected for different limb structures OR aerial locomotion
OR description of selection pressure favouring wing structures AND aquatic life OR
description of selection pressure favoured flipper structures
-
10)An increase in phenotypes is a component of the process of evolution.
11) Scientists can use DNA sequences to determine evolutionary relationships.
For example, scientists might compare the nucleotide sequence of a shared
gene across species. By comparing the sequences of nucleotides in the same
gene, scientists can infer the order in which the changes most likely occurred.
This allows them to determine the most likely divergence order among the
organisms.
12)TAXONOMIC RANKS in modern classification system ​

- Domain is the largest rank ​

- The three domains are Archaea, Eubacteria, and Eukarya

- Domain Eukarya is split into kingdoms ​

- From largest to smallest, kingdoms are divided into phyla OR phylum,

classes, orders, families, genera OR genuses, and species
- Species are sometimes divided into subspecies
13) If the ancestral animals are brought back to the modern day they
would not survive because they are not well adapted to the
environment.
14) Even if organisms live in different environments/ geographical regions
they still can be from the same species if when breeding them, they are
able to produce fertile offspring.
15) A random mutation gives resistance to a disease and spreads in the
population.
16)

NATURAL SELECTION SELECTIVE BREEDING

Natural selection is the process where Selective breeding is when organisms
organisms better adapted to the are bred to produce desirable traits in
environment are more likely to survive their offspring.
and breed.

Natural selection happens naturally and Selective breeding is controlled by

takes a much longer time humans and is a much more rapid process

17) Antibiotic resistance in bacteria also provides evidence for evolution

as it shows that bacteria can change over time in response to a selective
pressure.
18) Mechanisms by which closely related species living in close
proximity may be reproductively isolated.
- Species living close to one another may be reproductively isolated due to
behavioural isolation, which is a failure to recognise potential mates. Two
species may also be isolated due to postzygotic barriers. For example, their
offspring could be sterile. Two closely related species may have different
numbers of chromosomes.
19) Sexual and asexual reproduction can lead to the formation of
new species with different numbers of copies of each chromosome.
- Both sexually and asexually reproducing species can be produced when
two closely related species hybridise to produce a daughter species that can
carry out mitosis and is reproductively isolated from the parent species).
Sometimes reproductive isolation in both sexually and asexually
reproducing species is brought about by a change in chromosome copy
number. This is often due to abnormal meiotic divisions. When an odd
number of chromosomes is present in the daughter species, for example,
3n, meiosis is impossible, and the daughter species can only reproduce
asexually through mitosis. If the daughter species reproduces through
sexual reproduction, the chromosome copy number must be even so that
meiosis is possible. Sometimes a single, self-fertilising species may
undergo abnormal meiotic divisions, which result in the production of a
new species that has half or double the number of chromosomes and thus
becomes reproductively isolated.
● Asexual reproduction:
● chromosome number of daughter species is an odd number
 - Sexual reproduction: ​

- the hybridisation of closely related species

- new hybrid species has one set of chromosomes from each parent species
- self-fertilisation OR autogamy occurs, and chromosome number is doubled OR
halved
- fusion of two diploid gametes OR another valid example of fertilisation leading to
a change in chromosome copy number
❖ Both asexual and sexual reproduction:
❖ reproductive isolation OR new species are sometimes brought about by
differences in chromosome copy number
❖ abnormal meiotic division in parent species
❖ daughter species is reproductively isolated from the parent species
❖ daughter species reproduces asexually because meiosis is no longer possible

NATURAL SELECTION - can increase biodiversity by the evolution of new

species (e.g. adaptive radiation) or decrease biodiversity by the reduction of species (e.g.
extinction).The evolution of the Tinamou with reference to natural selection.

- The geographic isolation of the Tinamou lineage meant that different populations were
subjected to different environmental conditions. Random mutations in the populations resulted in
genetic variation,which may have resulted in different physical and behavioural traits. Some traits
among Tinamous, such as camouflage or flight abilities, would have been more advantageous
than others, resulting in higher survival rates. Therefore, these organisms with advantageous traits
were able to pass on their alleles to successive generations.