Why does the presence of extinct and transitional forms in the fossil record support the pattern component of the theory of evolution by natural selection?

The absence of a pattern in the progression of transitional fossils led to the proposal of the alternative theory of punctuated equilibrium. The fossil record contradicts the slow and uniform progress of organisms predicted by the Darwinian and Neo Darwinian theories of evolution.

The fossil record as a whole demonstrates a progression from simple to complex fossils, with the simplest fossils found in the lowest levels of sedimentary layers. For example, the Cambrian explosion is not supported by evidence of transitional fossils.

The well-known horse fossil sequence does demonstrate a pattern component of decent; it also demonstrates evolution and adaptation of the organisms; however, it does not support Darwinian evolution because it records a transition from complex structures to simple structures. Consequently, the horse fossil sequence supports the ideas of progressive change and evolution, but not Neo-Darwinian evolution, since the theory's prediction of a transition from the simple to the complex is not supported by the available data.

The presence of extinct and transitional forms in the fossil record supports the pattern component of the theory of evolution by natural selection because it demonstrates the gradual changes in species over time, providing evidence for the idea that species have descended from common ancestors through a process of modification and adaptation.