The Evolution Of Flightless Birds - 1227 Words

Evolution occurs when an animal species develops new bodily structures and functions in order to adapt to their new environment. These developments are seen as positive adaptations that enhances survival. However, some animal species have lost these new developments. Based on the geographic location and climate, some evolutionary developments that are no longer needed are lost due to the fact that the new bodily structure itself does not enhance the chance of survival in a particular environment (Kirchman 2009; Vieites, et al. 2009). In most cases these lost developments are passed down through future generations and are never redeveloped. However, more information is needed to decide whether or not the loss of these evolutionary developments was due to natural selection or by random mutation over years (Wilkens and Strecker 2003). In this paper, I will examine three studies from a diversity of taxa, which illustrate the history of flightless birds, how climate has influenced the evo lution of salamanders and how life lived in darkness has influenced the blindness in cave fish. Together these studies depict how these evolutionary abilities are lost and their affects on the animal species. Krichman (2009) examined the ancestry of flightless birds (Gallirallus philippenesis) through the usage of genetic testing that were sampled throughout a range of ancestral species. This was to test a model of speciation where flightless birds were thought to have evolved from flying birdsShow MoreRelatedLife Is Fine1630 Words   |  7 PagesGRADE 12 LIFE SCIENCES (new content framework) Exemplar Assignment: Evolution - evidence MAY 2011 MARKS: 70 TIME: 1 hour 10 minutes This assignment consists of 10 pages. Copyright reserved Please turn over INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION Read the following instructions carefully before answering the questions. 1. 2. 3. 4. Answer ALL the questions. Write ALL the answers on your ANSWER SHEET. Start EACH question on a NEW page. Number the answers correctly according to the numbering system usedRead MoreRemembering the Flightles, Giant Moa Bird1597 Words   |  6 PagesBeautiful islands filled with exotic, large, endemic birds and other mega-fauna seems like a pipe dream from science fiction writers such as Michael Crichton, however on the island of New Zealand in the south Pacific Ocean, this pipe dream was real and had the pleasure of calling itself home to the extinct, exotic, flightless bird species of the giant moa (Dinornis, Megalapteryx) (Bunce et al. 2009). Stories of it’s glory and extinction of the moa have been passed down from generation to generationRead MoreNew Australi New Zealand1529 Words   |  7 Pageshave highway systems. Though the difficult terrain of the count ry often can make for slow journeys. The vegetation of New Zealand consisted of mixed forest covering perhaps two-thirds of the total land area. The islands’ isolation encouraged the evolution of species unknown to the rest of the world. Today dense â€Å"bush† survives only in areas unsuitable for settlement and in parks and reserves. On the coast of the South Island, this mixed forest still yields most of the native timber used by industryRead MoreThe Pleistocene epoch was a time period of almost 2 million years of repeating glaciation around700 Words   |  3 Pagesmany mammals and vertebrates that can be identified today were found during this time (Zimmermann, 2013). The Pleistocene epoch is an important foundation for understanding life that exists today, including carnivores, herbivores as well as the evolution of humans. Fossil preservation has always been the most accurate way to determine what species lived during a specific time period. Through correlations and radiometric dating, time periods have become more accurate and being able to tell what livedRead MoreComparing The Penguin The Flightless Bird And The Great Northerner Diver1841 Words   |  8 PagesTopic: Compare and contrast the Penguin the flightless bird and the Great Northerner diver. I. Introduction The two species I will be writing about is the Emperor penguin and the Great norther diver they are both are from the class Aves (Magnuson, 2007) .In addition, the emperor penguin since is in the class Aves, the penguins used to be able to flight which is an adaptive trait (Elliott et al., 2013).In addition, physiologically they look different the Emperor penguin looks bigger and can’t flyRead MoreThe Study Of Evolution And Evolution1276 Words   |  6 PagesTHE STUDY OF EVOLUTION ------------------------------------------------------ The study of Evolution has been a hot topic of controversy over the last two centuries. The definition of evolutionary biology itself generally refers to an area of biological study mixed with the study of the evolutionary processes that are produced by the diversity of life on Earth. This tour of centuries ago, the one you are about to take will help you gain a better understanding of not only those who haveRead MoreModern Birds : The Neornithes2788 Words   |  12 PagesOur modern birds, the Neornithes, has been divided into two â€Å"super-orders,† the Palaeognathae (ratites and tinamous) and the Neognathae (other bird orders). Palaeognathae itself is divided into two orders, the Strathioniformes and Tinamiformes. There are five extant species and two extinct species in the Strathioniformes, or the ratites. In total, there are at least 30 species within the ratites family. 16 of these species are now extinct. The rest of the extant species make up only 0.1% of the totalRea d MoreCase Study : Animal Cloning : Moa ( Dinornithidae ) And Sheep ( Ovis Aries )1431 Words   |  6 Pagesfossilised Moa. The nucleus (containing the organism DNA) can then be extracted from the cell and placed into a donor egg. This egg has to be similar to one of the moa. For example, to revive the moa the donor egg could come from another species of bird such as the ostrich that shares a similar ancestor. This cell could now be implanted into a surrogate mother (most likely to also be an ostrich) which can give birth to the Moa – bringing back the extinct. The first attempt at bringing back an extinctRead MoreDivision and Classification Essay (Reptiles)1367 Words   |  6 PagesSphenodontia, Squamata, and Testudines (Wikipedia, Reptiles). The domain Crocodilia contains the family’s alligator, caimen, crocodile, and gharial. There are twenty-three species contained in this domain, and they are the closest living relatives to birds. This order had been in existence for the past 84 million years since the dawn of the Cretaceous period. The crocodilian species ranges in size from a four to five- foot Cuvier’s Dwarf Caimen, all the way up to the twenty-foot Saltwater Crocodile (whichRead MoreDiversity in the Galapagos Islands861 Words   |  3 Pagesvarieties of natural and introduced plant life. Charles Darwin was born February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, England. He sailed on the HMS Beagle in 1831. He knew he was going to the Galapagos, but he didnt know that he would discover the theory of evolution. The plants on the Galapagos Island are very tropical and numerous in varietes. According to the Galapagos Conservancy there are about six hundred and forty native species of of plants on the Galapagos Islands. There are about eight hundred and