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p. 404. The evidence for evolution: patterns in time and spacelocked

  • Brian Charlesworth
  •  and Deborah Charlesworth

Abstract

‘The evidence for evolution: patterns in time and space’ describes how the evidence for evolution derives from Earth history and the patterns of geographical distribution of living species. The interpretation of the fossil record, which is the only direct source of information on the history of life and provides strong evidence for evolution, follows the same principle of uniformitarianism that is applied by geologists to the history of the structure of the Earth. Another important body of facts that makes sense only in terms of evolution comes from the distribution of living creatures over space. One of the most striking examples of this involves the flora and fauna of oceanic islands, such as the Galapagos and Hawaiian islands.

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