In the late 1800's, a biologist studying animal embryos coined the phrase, "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny", meaning that the physical development of an animal embryo (ontogeny) seemed to retrace the changing form of the species during its evolutionary history (phylogeny). Why would embryonic development retrace evolutionary steps?

In the late 1800's, a biologist studying animal embryos coined the phrase, "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny", meaning that the physical development of an animal embryo (ontogeny) seemed to retrace the changing form of the species during its evolutionary history (phylogeny). Why would embryonic development retrace evolutionary steps?

Biology Today and Tomorrow without Physiology (MindTap Course List)

5th Edition

ISBN:9781305117396

Author:Cecie Starr, Christine Evers, Lisa Starr

Publisher:Cecie Starr, Christine Evers, Lisa Starr

Chapter11: Evidence Of Evolution

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 1CT

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In the late 1800s, a biologist studying animal embryos coined the phrase “ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny,” meaning that the physical development of an animal embryo (ontogeny) seemed to retrace the changing form of the species during its evolutionary history (phylogeny). Why would embryonic development retrace evolutionary steps?
Draw a phylogenetic reconstruction for the hypothetical frog species. Once you have a cladogram you feel confident about, use lines and labels on cladogram to indicate where character states hanged. How many evolutionary changes occurred in your phylogeny? Is there evidence of an evolutionary convergence having occurred in your phylogeny? How about evolutionary reversals?
What are the two ways of finding the age of a fossil? Describe how relative dating works. What does absolute dating do? Why is the element carbon-14 important for paleontologists? . Developmental Biology - Embryology Many scientists use what an organism looks like as an embryo, or embryology, as evidence for evolution. The embryos of most vertebrates look very similar and have similar structures. For example, fish, bird, rabbit, and human embryos are similar in appearance in early stages. They all have gill slits and a tail with muscles to move it. Later as the embryos develop, they become less and less similar. What does the study of embryology show when comparing most vertebrates?
What is a phylogeny a description of? a. mutations b. DNA c. evolutionary history d. organisms on Earth
The phylogenetic tree for 12 cat species (Felidae) reproduced at right was assembled from molecular sequence data. Which species is the domestic cats closest relative? Which clade is the sister taxon to tigers? Are bobcats more closely related to cougars or to ocelots? Source: From Warren E. Johnson et al. 2006. The late Miocene radiation of modern Felidae: A genetic assessment. Science 311:7377.
How do modern evolutionists view the relationship between ontogeny and phylogeny? Explain how the observation of paedomorphosis conflicts with Haeckel’s “biogenetic law.”
At the beginning of the Paleozoic era, animals underwent an adaptive radiation event, called the Cambrian explosion. During this relatively short span of geological time, the ancestors of most animal phyla arose. Classification of taxa at the rank of phylum is based largely on body plan, which is laid out during embryonic development. Answer the questions that follow: What environmental condition may have contributed to the Cambrian explosion? What is one evolutionary novelty (phenotypic trait) that also contributed to the Cambrian explosion? Genetic and developmental mechanisms also contributed to the Cambrian explosion. Before the Cambrian, animals were small with simple body plans (g., sponges and jellyfish). By the end of the period, larger animals with complex body forms had evolved (e.g., arthropods and vertebrates). Did the following genetic mechanisms impact the evolution of body plan complexity? Provide a brief explanation for each answer. gene duplication…
The Cambrian explosion is a conundrum: how can the long prior history of the phyla, revealed by molecular divergence, be reconciled with their absence, and then sudden appearance, in the fossil record?
Is it the case that a phylogeny based on a single gene sequence is usually the same as a phylogeny based on multiple gene sequences? Which method is more likely to reflect the true evolutionary history of the in group? Why?
Transitional species are species important in helping scientists determine the evolutionary path that species have taken over long periods of time. Lobe-finned fishes are the ancestors of amphibians and have fossils that are found in rocks that are at least 380 million years old. Fossils of the oldest amphibian-like vertebrate animals with true legs and lungs are found in rocks that are approximately 363 million years old. Paleontologists have found a sample of rock that is approximately 370 million years old which contains what seems to be a link between lobe-finned fishes and amphibians. Which of the following is a characteristic that you would not expect to see in this transitional fossil? Question options: Skeletal structures that indicate the development of legs. An intermediate structure between lungs and gills. Teeth that are intermediate to the lobe-finned fishes and amphibians. A neck that is more flexible than lobe-finned fishes.
A 2015 article in Nature has summarized the early history of jawed vertebrates using highlights from recent discoveries and how they have changed our understanding of vertebrate evolution. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140416133336.htm Question: Given these recent discoveries, how should the cladogram below change? Describe it. It will likely be helpful to reference a synapomorphy noted on the cladogram.
Which of the following statements is BEST supported by the phylogenetic tree? A The development of a bony skeleton was a significant evolutionary step for ocean-dwelling animals. B Most warm-blooded animals evolved to have hair, while cold-blooded animals did not. C Most land animals require a vertebral column, while ocean animals do not. D The evolution of the amniotic egg was specific to ocean-dwelling animals.