Question

How did Charles Darwin’s fossil record provide evidence for evolution?

Answer 1

Evidence supporting evolution comes from different fields of study such as, taxonomy, anatomy, embryology, cytology, genetics, biogeography and fossil record. Fossils are the remains of extinct organisms which provide the history of different species that have lived on earth.

Complete answer:
Darwin is known as the ‘father of evolution’. He gave the theory of natural selection which states that small heritable variations occur in individuals and the individuals with more favourable variations survive in the struggle of existence. His theory is supported by many observable evidence and principles. One such important evidence is fossil history. Fossils are remains, impressions, tracks or traces of organisms that lived in the past. They are regarded as written documents of evolution. Fossils can be found in sedimentary rocks, ice, volcanic ash, peat, amber, asphalt, etc. Fossil history has confirmed that older organisms became extinct and new organisms evolved regularly. Extinction of older organisms occurs only when new individuals are better in the struggle of existence which leads to survival of the fittest and natural selection.
Fossils are of different types, such as skeletal materials (teeth, bones, shells), compressions, impressions, microfossils, organic molecules, imprints, unaltered remains. Formation of fossils is a rare phenomenon which occurs because of landslides, avalanche, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods etc. One of the most common examples of studied fossils is Dinosaurs which went extinct about 60 million years back. Other examples are giant horsetails, tree-like lycopods, pteridosperms, toothed birds like Archaeopteryx, great mammals etc.

Note: The study of fossils to understand the history of life on earth is known as Palaeontology and the process of formation of fossils is called Fossilisation. Different organisms occurred during different ages of earth. This progressive evolution from earlier to later forms is evidenced by fossils.