Evidence for Evolution (AQA GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy): Revision Note
Exam code: 8464
Evolution in Bacteria
The theory of evolution by natural selection is now widely accepted and many sources of data are now available to support the theory of evolution
One very clear piece of evidence for evolution is antibiotic resistance in bacteria
An antibiotic is a chemical that can kill or inhibit the growth and reproduction of bacteria
Antibiotics are extremely useful to humans as some bacteria are pathogenic and can cause life-threatening disease
Bacteria reproduce, on average, every 20 minutes and therefore evolution occurs in a much shorter time span
Like all other organisms, within a population, there will be variation caused by mutations
A chance mutation might cause some bacteria to become resistant to an antibiotic (eg penicillin)
When the population is treated with this antibiotic, the resistant bacteria do not die
This means they can continue to reproduce with less competition from non-resistant bacteria, which are now dead
Therefore the genes for antibiotic resistance are passed on with a much greater frequency to the next generation
Over time the whole population of bacteria becomes antibiotic-resistant because the bacteria are best suited to their environment
Evidence for Darwin's Theory
Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection is now widely accepted
Evidence for Darwin’s theory is now available as it has been shown that characteristics are passed on to offspring in genes
Our understanding of genetics has made clear the mechanism by which natural selection can occur
There is further evidence for evolution in the fossil record and our knowledge of how resistance to antibiotics evolves in bacteria
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