Question

How did we explain this constellation of features before fossils were discovered? The model, developed before the human fossil record was known, predicts that ___ ____ should have evolved first, followed by ___, ___ ___, and then ___ and ___

Answer 1

Before fossils were discovered, a model based on comparative anatomy and embryology suggested a specific order of evolution starting with protists, followed by the divergence of prokaryotes into kingdoms of fungi, plants, and animals.

Step-by-step explanation:

Before the discovery of fossils, our understanding of evolutionary history was much more speculative and based primarily on comparative anatomy and embryology. However, the model that was developed before the human fossil record was known predicted a certain sequence of evolution. According to this pre-fossil model, protists evolved first, then there was the divergence of prokaryotes, which branched into the kingdoms of fungi, plants, and animals. This belief was based on observable characteristics of extant (currently living) organisms and did not account for the fossil evidence that would later redefine these evolutionary relationships.