Q: How does biogeography support the theory of evolution?

Flexi Says:

• Fossils provide a window into the past because they are evidence for evolution. Scientists who find and study fossils are called paleontologists.
• Scientists compare the anatomy, embryos, and DNA of living things to understand how they evolved. Evidence for evolution is provided by homologous structures, which are structures shared by related organisms and inherited from a common ancestor. Other evidence is provided by analogous structures. These are structures that unrelated organisms share because they evolved for the same function.
• Biogeography is the study of how and why plants and animals live where they do. It also provides evidence for evolution. On island chains, such as the Galápagos, one species may evolve into many new species to fill available niches. This is called adaptive radiation.
• Peter and Rosemary Grant re-studied Galápagos finches. During a drought in the 1970s, they were able to directly observe evolution.