BI111 Chapter Notes - Chapter 23.4/30.1: Phloem, Gametophyte, Sporophyte
Document Summary
The diversity of life we see today is the result of evolutionary process playing out over geologic time. There is no experiment we can do to determine why the dinosaurs became extinct. The advantage of reconstructing evolutionary history from living organisms is that we can use a full range of features to generate out hypothesis but the disadvantage is that we cannot use extinct species. Biology provides a functional and phylogenetic framework for the interpretation of fossils. Agreement between phylogenies and the fossil record provides strong evidence of evolution: The shape of a phylogenetic tree implies that diversity has accumulates through time beginning with the simplest organisms and adding complex macroscopic forms. Although land plants are rooted in one place they must be able to disperse their offspring to minimize competition for space and resources. Used water or air to disperse seeds.
