a. Briefly describe (not just identify) the two different species that possess the homologus trait. (5 pts)

Humans (mammal) and fish both posess tail bones.


b. Describe the homologus trait of each species, focusing on the differences in structure and function of the trait. Why do these homologus traits exhibit differences between the two species? Make sure your explanation is clear and complete. (10 pts)

The homologous trait is the tail bone, both have a tail bone however they do not appear the same and are not used for the same purpose. The tail bone of a human is not used for survival or help with every day activities and is usually left unnoticed without moving, whereas the tailbone of a fish serves a purpose to move side to side and help it swim. Humans are evolved enough to not need the help of a tail so it has "dissapeared" however the bone is still there. Fish live in the water and need it to help swim, so they still have a tail.


c. Who was (generally, not specifically) the common ancestor of these two species and how do you know that ancestor possessed this homologus trait? (5 pts) d. Provide an image of each species in this comparison. (5 pts)

An ancient fish was the common ancestor as the bones it possessed were passed on and changed to become elbows,wrists,etc.,as seen in humans and the tail bone was evolved and some bones changed for evolved fish to better fit the environments.









a. Briefly describe the two different species that possess the analogous trait. (5 pts)

Dolphin (mammal) and Shark (fish)



b. Describe the analogous trait of each species, focusing on the similarities in structure and function of the trait. Clearly explain why these analogous traits exhibit similarities between the two species. (10 pts)

Both are predetory and have fins, they both live in the water and adapted to have fins to help them survive and swim.



c. All pairs of organisms share some common ancestor if you go back far enough in time. Could the common ancestor of these two species have possessed this analogous trait? How do we know these traits are analogous and not genetically related from common descent? (5 pts) d. Provide an image of each species in this comparison. (5 pts)

The dolphin was a land animal that then turned into the dolphin over many years and did not need a fin to survive originally, it was made from adaptation and evolution and that is why a dolphin has a fin like a shark though it's ancestor did not possess fins. The shark was always in the water and never on land.

After my research of each listed individual in the prompt, I have found Jean-Baptiste Lamarck to be the most influential over Charles Darwin's theory of Natural selection in a positive way. Lamarck attempted to find an explanation for the evolutionary process by hypothesizing that there was a dynamic relationship between a species and their environment, suggesting that they change and adapt when the environment changes. For example, he hypothesized that when an environment changes, the population of the environment would also change to adapt to the new environment, such as increasing or decreasing certain body parts that would be modified to help adapt to the new environment. I feel this influenced Darwin because he shared the same belief that populations of species adapted to their environment and were directly affected by their environment causing them to change over time with the use of natural selection. 

Lamarck contributed greatly to the scientific community by introducing the importance of interactions between organisms and their external environment in the evolutionary process. Below I have added a link that discusses a hypothesis he had on how giraffes necks got to be the length they are now. Though his hypothesis on that was wrong, it helped open a new way of viewing how species change and adapt due to their environments.

https://study.com/academy/lesson/jean-baptiste-lamarck-biography-facts-contributions.html

A bullet point that shows Lamarck’s influence on Darwin is “If the environment changes, the traits that are helpful or adaptive to the environment will be different”. This is because Lamarck introduced the correlation between species and their environment, and how traits change over time due to Natural selection. This helped Darwin see that when traits changed in a species due to the individuals with bad traits for their environment died off, it was because the good traits were being passed down through generations and being in a sense “perfected” for their environment so that they could prosper and multiply. Populations of species adapted over time through natural selection and reproduction. 

I don’t believe Darwin would have developed his theory of natural selection without the influence of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. Lamarck opened a new way of thinking about how a species environment was connected with how the population of the species changed, and without that I feel that Darwin may not have thought about Natural selection as it’s what happened when the environment “selects” who will live and who will die based on their inherited traits, picking the stronger to live and the weaker to die.

The attitude of the church affected Darwin’s decision to publish his theory because he was afraid of the consequences of not going by exactly what the Bible says, that “god created every individual as they are” essentially. Back then it was looked down upon to think God wasn’t the reason for every living thing to be as they are, and the idea of evolution was very looked down upon. People who questioned anything about the Bible or the church were usually punished, and Darwin didn’t want his career to be over. He eventually did publish it, and now it has opened doors for new discoveries and to be taught in classes such as this one.