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Darwin Explains Natural Selection. Ch 22.2. Darwin’s Life. 1809-1831 Lived in England & fascinated with nature Went to school to became a physician Dropped out (disgusted by surgery) Became a clergyman 1831-1836 Invited on the HMS Beagle Hydrographic survey of South America.
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Darwin ExplainsNatural Selection Ch 22.2
Darwin’s Life • 1809-1831 • Lived in England & fascinated with nature • Went to school to became a physician • Dropped out (disgusted by surgery) • Became a clergyman • 1831-1836 • Invited on the HMS Beagle • Hydrographic survey of South America
Darwin Observes • Documented • Kept a Journal: The Voyage of the Beagle • Collected • Thousands of plants, animals, & fossils
On the Origin of Species • 1836-1859 • Thinks about the voyage, animal/plant collection, fossils, geology… • Begins to describe the most revolutionary idea in biology • Receives a letter from colleague Alfred Wallace with same idea • They publish their idea together • Then Darwin finishes his book
We change organisms • Artificial Selection: • humans modify species over many generations by selecting and breeding individuals with desired traits
Cabbage Brussels sprouts Kale Cauliflower Broccoli Wild mustard Kohlrabi We change organisms
Artificial Selection Today • http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/evolution/dog_breeding.html • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jFGNQScRNY
Observations from the voyage • Galapagos islands, while close to each other, contained: • Various ecosystems • Organisms similar to, but different from each other • Each had adaptations to fit the environment
Observations • For any species, population sizes would increase exponentially if all individuals born reproduce successfully • Populations tend to be stable in size, except for seasonal fluctuations • Resources are limited
Inference #1 • Production of more individuals than the environment can support leads to a struggle for existence among individuals of a population, with only a fraction of their offspring surviving
Observations • Members of a population vary extensively in their characteristics • Much of this variation is heritable
Inference #2 • Survival depends in part on inherited traits; individuals whose inherited traits give them a high probability of surviving and reproducing are likely to leave more offspring than other individuals
Inference #3 • This unequal ability of individuals to survive and reproduce will lead to a gradual change in a population, with favorable characteristics accumulating over generations
Summary of Evolution by Natural Selection • Organisms better suited to the environment are more likely to survive & reproduce than organisms less suited to the environment Mutation Variation Selection Individuals do NOT change; populations change
Evolution by natural selection There is a grandeur in this view of life…