Describe/ explain different evidences that show that evolution took place.

a)Fossil records; Fossils are remains of ancestral forms that were accidentally preserved in some naturally occurring materials e.g. sedimentary rocks, plant resins and amber; they give direct evidence of the type of animals and plants that existed at a certain geological age, also show gradual increase in complexity from simple organisms to more complex organisms and phylogenetic relationship of organisms;
b)Geographical distribution; in the past the present day continents formed one large single land mass/Pangea; the animals migrated freely all over the land mass, the land mass later broke up into parts which drifted from one another forming the present day continents; This continental drift isolated organisms of common ancestry causing the organisms to evolve along different evolutionary line resulting in the formation of new different species distinct from those found in other climatically similar but separate regions;
c) Comparative embryology; Vertebrate embryos are morphologically similar during their early stages of development suggesting that they have a common/similar/same ancestry; the closer the resemblance between the embryos the closer the evolutionary/ phylogenetic relationship between organisms;
d) Comparative anatomy; organisms with homologous structures have the same embryonic origin; organisms with analogous structures have the different embryonic origin; organisms with vestigial organs and those with functional organs are said to have the same ancestral origin;
e) Cell biology; The cells of all higher organisms show basic similarities in their structure and function hence contain cell membranes and organelles (e.g. mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, golgi bodies) also contain some biological chemicals e.g. ATP and DNA or similar amino acid molecules hence those organisms are said to have the same embryonic origin;
Differences in structures and chemical substances in plants and animals e.g. presence of cell wall, chloroplast, starch, chlorophyl in plants and haemoglobin, haemocycin and chlorocruorin in animals show different ancestral origin;
f)Comparative serology; Analysis of blood proteins and antigens reveal phylogenetic/ evolutionary relationships. Organisms that are closely related contain more similar blood proteins;