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The Father of Evolution

Charles Darwin 1809-1882. The Father of Evolution. Charles Darwin Born in 1809, Shrewsbury, England Naturalist Studied Medicine Degree in Theology Buried in Westminster Abbey. After Cambridge, Charles was recommended for a surveying trip on the HMS Beagle.

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The Father of Evolution

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  1. Charles Darwin1809-1882 The Father of Evolution

  2. Charles Darwin Born in 1809, Shrewsbury, England Naturalist Studied Medicine Degree in Theology Buried in Westminster Abbey

  3. After Cambridge, Charles was recommended for a surveying trip on the HMS Beagle. The mission of the voyage was to chart stretches of the South American coast. Darwin sailed aboard the Beagle for 5 years, working as a naturalist.

  4. Row, row, row your boat! • Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle • 5 year unpaid voyage • Darwin studied plants, animals, collected fossils • Found fossils of extinct animals that were similar to modern species. On the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean he noticed many variations among plants and animals of the same general type as those in South America.

  5. This voyage lasted from 1831 to 1836.

  6. Many of Darwin’s conclusions were based on observations of wildlife in the Galapagos Islands. The Galapagos Islands lie 500 miles west of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean, directly on the equator. “Galapagos” means turtle.

  7. Darwin was influenced by : • Geologist • Contribution: • Earth is very old (much older than thought) • Earth has changed over time (constantly changing) Sir Charles Lyell 1797 - 1875

  8. Another influential person • Economist • Contribution: • Populations have the potential to increase faster than the available food supply Thomas Malthus 1766-1834

  9. Alfred Russel Wallace Menu Another influential scientist • Botanist • Contribution: • Essay described evolution by natural selection Alfred Russel Wallace 1823 - 1913 Menu enu Spice Islands Home Page

  10. Galapagos finches Darwin noticed there were several types of finches on these islands. In particular, Darwin observed something odd about the finches: they all looked like a bird he had seen on the South American continent.

  11. In all, there were 13 types of finches, some species being confined to only one island.

  12. The most distinct difference among finch species is their beaks, which are adapted for the specific diets available on the islands.

  13. Darwin wondered if the birds and other animals had been created to match their environment, why didn’t these birds look like the birds of the African continent, since the environments of both the Galapagos and Africa were similar.

  14. Darwin guessed that some of the birds from South America migrated to the Galapagos. Once on the islands, the birds must have changed over the years.

  15. large ground finch woodpecker finch cactus finch This would explain the numerous species of birds present.

  16. G. fortis G. fuliginosa Camarhynchus pauper Cactospiza pallida G. magnirostris C. psittacula G. scandens C. heliobates C. pauper G. conirostris Geospiza difficilis Platyspiza crassitrostris Certhidea olivacea & C. Fusca Cacts Finch (nectar,eeds, blood) Woodpecker-like Finch (seeds & insects) Insect-eating Finch Seed-eating Finch Vegetarian Finch Ground Finch Tree Finch Warbler Finch PHYLOGENIC TREE: A diagram showing the evolutionary history of a species of an animal. This tree has how many major branches?

  17. TWO TYPES OF EVOLUTION: Convergent Evolution: process by which unrelated species become similar as they adapt to similar environments. Divergent Evolution: formation of new species from an existing species adapting to new environments. What type of evolution is a phylogenic tree?

  18. After returning from the Galapagos and studying all the different types of plants & animals. Darwin concluded new concepts of change….

  19. Darwin called this… evolution which means (change in species over time) Darwin extended these principles to biology, which helped him form his theory of… Natural Selection …or Survival of the Fittest.

  20. Five basic components of Natural Selection

  21. Every species is different, even within itself. Look around you…are you all the same? 1. All species have genetic variation.

  22. 2. The environment presents challenges to survival. • There is a constant struggle for survival. Examples are: • Drought • Fires • Floods • Snowstorms • Hurricanes • Tornadoes • Other natural disasters

  23. food food space space mates 3. Organisms produce more offspring than can survive. Competition exists WITHIN and AMONG species. Within a Species Among a Species

  24. an organism which has successfully adapted to its environment In other words, he who spreads the most genes wins! 1st 4. Individuals that are fit to their environment leave more offspring than those who aren’t. Darwin’s definition of fitness: Organisms who possess favorable traits will leave more offspring.

  25. Over time, genes for less favored characteristics will be eliminated from the gene pool. Example: giraffes and their long necks. 5. Characteristics of fit individuals increase in a population over time.

  26. Therefore Darwin’s contributions: • Provided evidence that species evolve • In 1859, he proposed the Theory of Natural Selection to explain evolution (Survival of the fittest) • Over time, change within species leads to the replacement of old species by new species as less successful species become extinct. • Some evidence from fossils may prove that species on Earth have evolved from ancestral forms that are extinct. (species that have disappeared permanently.)

  27. What is a species? • One or more populations of individuals that can interbreed, producing fertile offspring. • Speciation is the process by which new species are formed over time.

  28. Equus, the modern horse, evolved from the dog-sized Hyracotherium. Notice it evolved from a four-toed front foot to the one-toed front foot of the modern horse.

  29. Scientific Evidence of Evolution includes: • Fossil Record • Comparative Anatomy • Embryology • DNA & Proteins (Biochemical Evidence)

  30. Fossil Record In order for fossils to form: • Calcium must be replaced • Burial must occur by sediment • Usually occurs in swamps, mud, ocean floors, tar pits, etc.

  31. COMPARATIVE ANATOMY: Homologous structures are characteristics which are shared by related species because they have been inherited in some way from a common ancestor. . • For example, the bones on the front fins of a whale are homologous to the bones in a human arm and both are homologous to the bones in a chimpanzee arm.

  32. Analogous Structures similar in function but not in origin and structure In convergent evolution, organisms evolve similar features independently, often because they live in similar habitats.

  33. VESTIGIAL STRUCTURES:structures that serve no useful purpose Examples include: • Tailbone • Tonsils • Whales’ pelvis • Appendix • Canines • muscles to move ears

  34. Because of Darwin’s discoveries we know that Evolution is the change of species over time NOT the origin of life! This is NOT a theory but a possible hypothesis based on Natural Selection!

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