The document discusses how biogeography provides evidence for common descent. It gives examples of how the animals found on the Galapagos Islands and Hawaiian Islands are closely related to species on the nearest mainland locations, suggesting they evolved from a common ancestor after migrating to the isolated areas. While critics agree this demonstrates microevolution within species, they argue it does not prove all life shares a common ancestor or explain how one species can evolve into another through the mechanisms of neo-Darwinism.

1. biogeography
Argument #5 for Common Descent

2. biogeography: case for
Darwin thought the patterns of distribution of plants
and animals could be best explained by descent with
modifications from a common ancestor.
He used the plants and animals of the Galapagos
Islands as an example.

3. biogeography: case for
Today’s evolutionary biologists give the same answer.
The animals of the Galapagos Islands are similar to the
mainland animals because they are descendants of
animals that migrated from South America.
The biological diversity because the animals adapted in
different ways after arriving in their new environments.

4. biogeography: case for
The Galapagos has many of the species that are on the
mainland of South America, but the opposite is not
true. Why is this important?
This shows that the species migrated to the Islands
and not the other way around.
The Galapagos species also are able to travel long
distances over water. You do not find large land
animals from the mainland on the Islands.

5. biogeography: case for
On the Hawaiian Islands there are hundreds of species
of fruit flies. They are not found anywhere else in the
world!
Why are there so many fruit flies in this one remote
location?
“The biological explanation for the multiplicity of related
species in remote localities is that such great diversity is
a consequence of their evolution from a few common
ancestors that colonized an isolated environment.”
- The National Academy of Sciences

6. biogeography: case for
online resources
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/lines_11
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evo_40
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/04/1/l_041_01.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/04/index.html#biodiversity_and_biogeography
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/fosrec/Filson.html
http://www.nyu.edu/projects/fitch/courses/evolution/html/geographic_distribution.html
http://www.nyu.edu/projects/fitch/courses/evolution/html/biogeography.html
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=6024&page=15

7. biogeography: a reply
Most critics of neo-Darwinism would agree that, for
example, the mockingbirds of the Galapagos Islands
have a common ancestor.
They say that the evidence does support the idea that
these birds have changed in response to their
environment. This is referring to one of the definitions of
evolution (microevolution).
The problem is though, that this does not show that all
creatures, everywhere, have one common ancestor,
which is the other definitions of evolution.

8. biogeography: a reply
Critics will also say that if Universal Common Descent
is true, then there must be a method for producing this
change. A change that is large enough to change one
species to another completely different species.
The changes that occur in the mockingbirds and the
fruit flies are not enough to create a new species.

9. biogeography: a reply
Some geneticists think that these changes are because
the birds and fruit flies became isolated, and lost
genetic information over time.
There are examples of species that live on isolated
islands that have lost some of the genetic information
necessary to produce the traits that are seen in their
ancestors.
This creates a problem, because large scale
macroevolution change requires the addition of new
genetic information, not the loss of it.

10. biogeography: a reply
resources
Evolution Exposed
by Roger Patterson
Speciation - page 57-67
Homology - page 68-72
Fossils (transitional) - page 73-74
Molecular Homology - page 74-75
Embryology - page 95-96
Refuting Evolution
by Jonathan Sarfati
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and
Intelligent Design by Jonathan Wells