Understanding Evolution

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Understanding Evolution

The Arthropod Story

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Conclusion: Evolution and the arthropod

The history of the arthropods is a stunning example of evolution on a grand scale. Here are some things you have seen:

  • Arthropods have diversified from their humble beginnings 500 million years ago. Some lineages, such as Opabinia and the trilobites, have gone extinct…
    Left, opabinia fossil; right, trilobite fossil.
    Opabinia fossil photo by Chip Clark, Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution

    But millions of arthropod species remain…

    Clockwise from top left; pillbug, triops shrimp, spider, stomatopod, centipede, and butterfly.
    Pillbug photo © 2004 Joyce Gross; Triops photo © 1999 William Leonard; Spider photo © 2003 O.Sanisidro; Stomatopod photo provided by Alden M. Johnson © California Academy of Sciences; Centipede photo provided by T. W. Davies © California Academy of Sciences; Butterfly photo provided by Christopher Christie.
  • The basic arthropod body layout has evolved into many forms and has been adapted for different functions… arthropod phylogeny However, despite their overwhelming success, the evolution of arthropods is still limited in some ways by characteristics inherited from their ancestors… Terrestrial arthropods don't get very big

 

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