Grade 10 SCIENCE

3RD QUARTER
Learning Activity Sheet 3

EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION
I. INTRODUCTION
Our planet is estimated to be 4.5 billion years old, with the earliest life forms appearing only
about a billion years after.
Now those earliest creatures are no longer around, as living things change over time in order
to adapt to the changes in their environment.
We only know of these early living things through uncovering their remains, with these fossils
showing us that what was then is different from now, and that change is inevitable.

II. LEARNING SKILLS FROM MELCs

a. Explain how fossil records, comparative anatomy, and genetic information provide
evidence for evolution. (S10LT-IIIf-39)
III. ACTIVITIES

PRE-TEST
Directions: TRUE or FALSE. Identify if the statements are true or false. Write your
answers on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Fossils are records of structural changes that happen to organisms.
2. Scientists sometimes do not agree on the age of a fossil.
3. Only genetic information supports the idea that wildlife evolve over time.
4. Humans have stopped evolving.
5. Evolution can only happen after a long period of time.
6. Evolutionary evidence are permanent and cannot be reversed.
7. Fossils provide clear evidence of evolution.
8. Mature organisms look more similar than their embryos.
9. DNA as evolutionary evidence is modern.
10. There may be similarities between different species due to a common ancestor.

EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION
Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection is widely supported by
evidence from different scientific fields, like fossils, comparative anatomy, and genetic
information .

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Fossils

The most common example of body fossils are A Tyrannosaurus rex skull
dinosaur bones.

Fossils are the preserved physical remains of organisms. Examples of fossils include bones,
shells, and feathers. Organisms become fossils, varying in size.
Fossils are solid evidence that organisms found in the past are different from the ones found
today, providing us a narrative of how life was in the past and how organisms evolve over
millions of years. We can compare the anatomies of past and present organisms.
The age and other characteristics of fossils help determine from what time and period they
are from, and which organisms lived relative to each other.

How Fossils are Formed

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For an organism to become a fossil, it undergoes the process called fossilization.
Organisms decompose fairly quickly after death, and the degree of decomposition along with
what covers the remains determine the extent of fossilization.
The organism could be covered or buried by sediment like lava or tar, and then once it gets
buried deeper into the earth, the empty spaces within the decomposed body will be filled with
minerals.

An example of a body fossil. This was a Trionyx, a An example of a trace fossil, footprints of an
It is large
usually the hardturtle
soft-shelled partsthat
of the
couldbody (called body
be found fossils)
unknown like the bones, teeth, and shells
animal.
which around Africa and the
are fossilized, Middle traces
although East since the feathers and other soft tissues have been found.
of skin,
Cretaceous period

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Trace fossils on the other hand, are the preserved marks of activity left behind by an
organism when it was still alive. This can be a footprint f, feces, or even the imprints of an
ancient plant.

ACTIVITY 1.
Directions: Study the following pictures. Identify if these are Body Fossils or Trace Fossils.
Write your answers on a separate piece of paper.

1. 2.

3. 4.

COMPARATIVE ANATOMY
Comparative anatomy studies the similarities and differences in the structure of organisms.
Even if organisms are categorized as different species, there are still similarities in their basic
forms.

Homologous vs. Analogous

Physical features or structures shared due to a common ancestors but that do not
necessarily serve the same function are called homologous structure.
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The picture above shows the same basic pattern of bones of different animals. They all serve
different functions, even though the basic bone pattern was inherited from a common
ancestor.

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The image above is another example of homologous structures. It shows comparative
embryology, wherein embryos of different species show similarities due to likely having a
common ancestor.

Analogous structures look similar and have similar functions, but are anatomically different
and belong to unrelated organisms. They share similarities because the organisms
experience or live in similar environments (or otherwise known as convergent evolution).

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The picture above shows that the wings of bats, birds, and insects look similar on the outside
and have the function (flight), but anatomically they are different.

ACTIVITY 2.
Directions: Study the pictures. Compare the features of humans and primates. Write your
descriptions on a separate piece of paper.
1. Brain

2. Skull

3. Jaw

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4. Skeleton

5. Limbs

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GENETIC INFORMATION
It was only during the early 20th century that DNA was discovered as a genetic material.
Therefore genetic information as evolutionary evidence through finding similarities in DNA
sequences is fairly modern but by far provides the strongest evidence in support of the
theory of evolution.

The picture above shows how closely related humans and primates are through DNA from a
common ancestor.
Humans are more closely related to chimpanzees than to orangutans and gorillas.

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 The picture below further supports this assertion as the genetic codes of humans and
chimpanzees are very similar, compared to humans with gorillas and orangutans

ACTIVITY 3
Genetic Information
Study the pictures below and answer the questions that follow. Write your answers on a
separate piece of paper.

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1. Would you say that there are similarities between the chimpanzee and man? What are
these similarities?
2. What would be the differences between the chimpanzee and man?
3. Can genetic information as evolutionary evidence be proven by observing the physical
characteristics of organisms? Why or why not?

POST –TEST
I. Directions: Answer the following questions. Write the letter of the best answer on a
separate sheet of paper.

1. The jaw of monkeys are protruding because of a set of ____________________.

a. large teeth c. same sizes of teeth
b. reinforce the jaw d. membranes for howling.

2. Why do we do comparative anatomy of organisms?

a. It provides clues to the structural changes over time in a group of organisms.
b. It is useful especially in biology.
c. It is intriguing to see similarities and differences even in one group of organisms.
d. It is important for classification purposes.

3. Why is the human skull bigger than monkey’s?

a. to protect a large brain
b. to adapt to changing climate
c. to be bipedal in walking
d. to be proportionate in height.

4. Among the evidence presented, which one provides the strongest evidence to support the
theory of evolution?
a. Homologous structures
b. Comparative anatomy
c. Genetic information
d. Comparative embryology

5. When we compare the fins of a dolphin and penguin, they are _________.
a. Homologous structures
b. Convergent evolution
c. Genetic makeup
d. Analogous structures

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