Classification and Evolution

• Biological evolution accounts for diversity over long periods of time.
• Present-day species evolved from earlier species; the relatedness of organisms is the result of common ancestry.
• During the course of evolution, only a small percentage of species have survived to today.
• All organisms, including humans, retain evidence of their evolutionary history.
• The fossil record documents the biodiversity of the past.
• The fossil record contains transitional forms.
• The fossil record documents patterns of extinction and the appearance of new forms.
• Anatomical similarities of living things reflect common ancestry.
• Developmental similarities of living things often reflect their relatedness.
• Evolution acts on what exists.
• Classification is based on evolutionary relationships.
• Evolutionary trees (e.g., phylogenies or cladograms) are built from multiple lines of evidence.

• Classification/Phylogenetics
• Speciation