Evolution
Evolution and Natural Selection
Similarities and differences in inherited characteristics of organisms alive today or in the past can be used to…
Item CA022003: Fossils can be used to determine how closely organisms are related.
The table below shows the presence or absence of traits in seven different species.
|
Character |
Frog |
Bird |
Crocodiles |
Whale |
Pig |
Gorilla |
|
Blowhole |
|
|
|
Yes |
|
|
|
Body hair |
|
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Amniotic egg |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Forelimbs |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Backbone |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Holes in Skull |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
|
There is not enough information in the table to determine which organism is most closely related to whales. What else could help scientists determine which organism is most closely related to whales?
- If fossils of an extinct whale were found that had pig-like hooves
- If whales and crocodiles both have traits adapted to living underwater
- If whales, pigs, and gorillas all start to develop pelvic bones as embryos
- If whales have some genes that are not found in any of the other organisms
- Distribution of Responses
- Points Earned
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 111 | 580 | 19% |
| Grades | |||
| 6–8 | 5 | 25 | 20% |
| 9–12 | 95 | 514 | 18% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 51 | 254 | 20% |
| Female | 52 | 286 | 18% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 96 | 526 | 18% |
| Other | 3 | 13 | 23% |
- Distribution of Responses
- Points Earned
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 67 | 255 | 26% |
| Grades | |||
| 6–8 | 6 | 15 | 40% |
| 9–12 | 46 | 195 | 24% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 26 | 97 | 27% |
| Female | 27 | 119 | 23% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 51 | 205 | 25% |
| Other | 0 | 6 | 0% |
- Distribution of Responses
- Points Earned
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 107 | 301 | 36% |
| Grades | |||
| 6–8 | 2 | 8 | 25% |
| 9–12 | 98 | 274 | 36% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 48 | 134 | 36% |
| Female | 51 | 150 | 34% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 97 | 274 | 35% |
| Other | 3 | 9 | 33% |
- Disciplinary Core Ideas
- LS4.A Anatomical similarities and differences between various organisms living today and between them and organisms in the fossil record, enable the reconstruction of evolutionary history and the inference of lines of evolutionary descent.
- Notes
- NGSS includes the idea that anatomical similarities and differences can be used to infer lines of evolutionary descent and, by extension, degree of relatedness, but it does not say explicitly that the greater the degree of similarity the more closely organisms are related.