EVOLUTIONATION
by Sarah Gilberg, Leigh Syphax and Arthur Siebens, Copyright 2004
to the tune of “Californication,” by Chad Smith, Flea, John Frusciante, and Anthony Kiedis
of the Red Hot Chili Peppers

Darwin’s theory of evolution—descent with modification.
Involves five observations and their implications
1) First there’s the capacity for overpopulation (high fertility)
2) Then populations are (typically) stable (in size) with minor fluctuations (e.g., seasonal)
3) Resources are limited—this can lead to altercations (competition)
Members of a population 4) inherit 5) variations (such as from recombination, crossing over)
Survival of the fittest – natural selection (survival to reproduce)
Results in variation (and) environmental interaction
CHORUS:
Adaptations are passed (from one generation to the next) so a species may last
Changes in a population lead to evolution (changes in species over time) and speciation (formation of new species—organisms that breed in naturally in the wild)
Hardy-Weinberg makes five assumptions ‘bout genes in populations.
If violated, allele frequencies change over generations
Microevolution results—and sometimes speciation
1) Genetic drift in small populations results from chance fluctuations (e.g., the founder and bottleneck effects)
2) Gene flow is the transfer of alleles (between populations) from migration (typically decreasing microevolution)
3) A change of DNA is called a mutation
4) If you choose your mate ‘cause red feathers look great (as in cardinals) it’s nonrandom fertilization
5) Then there’s natural selection based on adaptations
CHORUS:
Let’s use five (types of) facts to back evolution over special creation (creationism)
1) Fossils show life long extinct in the strata of (sedimentary) rock formations
2) Homologous and 3) vestigial parts in predictable (anatomic) locations (thus descent with modification)
4) Biogeography shows how space (nearby landmasses) or time (fossils) separates relations (related species)
5) Biochemical similarities show the extent of isolation
You can make a family (phylogenetic) tree with cytochrome C alterations (amino acid differences)
DNA’s the easiest way to count differentiations
It lets you test who’s related best in cetaceans (marine mammals) or crustaceans
CHORUS: