Evolution is a consolidating factor in biology supported by pieces of evidence from unique areas of biology. The areas of biology to be studied for evolution pieces of evidence include anatomy, biogeography, molecular biology, and fossils (Festa-Bianchet & Mysterud, 2018). Over time, evolution changes the genetic composition of species. The two types of evolution include, on one hand, macro-evolution, which consist of changes that happen over a long period; hence it experiences vast consequences. On the other hand, micro-evolution affects fewer genes in the shortest time possible (Ayala, 2018). This essay will focus on anatomy and embryology as a piece of evidence that supports the theory of evolution.
The presence of specific structures in organisms with similar forms is evidence of evolution. The sharing of the same physical structure, with an example being bone layout in appendages of birds, whales, dogs, and humans, shows the configuration was inherited from the same ancestor (Festa-Bianchet & Mysterud, 2018). Physical structures shared among different species through evolution are homologous (Ayala, 2018). Thus, evolution only changed their shapes and proportions, but the original layout is maintained across all those particular groups. Therefore, the physical differences serve as an adaptation to function in unique environmental settings.
Moreover, vestigial structures, which are residual organs and are both reduced in proportion and functionless, demonstrate common ancestry. Examples of such occurrences are found in birds’ wings that do not fly and undeveloped limbs in some snakes (Ayala, 2018). Convergent evolution is also evidence showing how the same environmental conditions can create similarities in organisms. For instance, animals in the same environment portray similar seasonal traits due to the same selection pressures. Additionally, mutational twisting in embryonic formations also alters some structures in organisms (Festa-Bienchet & Mysterud, 2018). An example of such a phenomenon is a tail and gill slit in the early developmental phases of all vertebrates that later become tailbone and jaw. Moreover, the forelimb bone layout in birds, dogs, whales, and humans also portray a similar ancestry.
References
Ayala, F. J. (2018). Introduction Ernst Mayr and the theory of evolution. Ludus Vitalis, 12(21), 3-13. Web.
Festa-Bianchet, M., & Mysterud, A. (2018). Hunting and evolution: theory, evidence, and unknowns. Journal of Mammalogy, 99(6), 1281-1292. Web.