EVOLUTION
Charles Darwin
► He was an English Naturalist
► He traveled around the world
on his ship, the Beagle
► Studied species and fossils in
the Galapagos Islands and
around the world
► Why did some species
survive while others became
extinct?
► Natural selection
► Published The Origin of
Species in 1859
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
Evolution, or change over time, is the
process by which modern organisms have
descended from ancient organisms.
A scientific theory is a well-supported
testable explanation of phenomena that
have occurred in the natural world.
How do you think Darwin came
up with his theory?
Voyage of the Beagle
Voyage of Beagle
Dates: February 12th, 1831
Captain: Charles Darwin
Ship: H.M.S. Beagle
Destination: Voyage around the world.
Findings: evidence to propose a
revolutionary hypothesis about how life
changes over time
Patterns of Diversity
Darwin visited Argentina and Australia which
had similar grassland ecosystems.
those grasslands were inhabited by very different
animals.
neither Argentina nor Australia was home to the sorts
of animals that lived in European grasslands.
Patterns of Diversity
Darwin posed challenging questions.
Why were there no rabbits in Australia, despite the
presence of habitats that seemed perfect for them?
Why were there no kangaroos in England?
Living Organisms and Fossils
Darwin collected the preserved remains of
ancient organisms, called fossils.
Some of those fossils resembled organisms that
were still alive today.
Living Organisms and Fossils
Others looked completely unlike any creature he had
ever seen.
As Darwin studied fossils, new questions arose.
Why had so many of these species disappeared?
How were they related to living species?
Fossils
The Galapagos Island
The smallest, lowest islands were hot,
dry, and nearly barren-Hood Island-sparse
vegetation
The higher islands had greater rainfall and
a different assortment of plants and
animals-Isabela- Island had rich
vegetation.
The Galapagos Island
Darwin was fascinated in particular by the
land tortoises and marine iguanas in the
Galápagos.
Giant tortoises varied in predictable ways
from one island to another.
The shape of a tortoise's shell could be
used to identify which island a particular
tortoise inhabited.
Animals found in the Galapagos
Land Tortoises
Darwin Finches
Blue-Footed Booby
Marine Iguanas
Animals
The Journey Home
Darwin Observed that characteristics
of many plants and animals vary
greatly among the islands
Hypothesis: Separate species may
have arose from an original ancestor
Ideas that shaped Darwin’s
Thinking
James Hutton:
1795 Theory of
Geological change
Forces change
earth’s surface
shape
Changes are slow
Earth much older
than thousands of
years
Ideas that Shaped Darwin’s
Thinking
Charles Lyell
Book: Principles of Geography
Geographical features can be built up or
torn down
Darwin thought if earth changed over time,
what about life?
Lamarck
Lamarck’s Theory of Evolution
Tendency toward Perfection(Giraffe
necks)
Use and Disuse (bird’s using
forearms)
Inheritance of Acquired Traits
Population Growth
Thomas Malthus-
19th century English
economist
If population grew
(more Babies born
than die)
Insufficient living
space
Food runs out
Darwin applied this
theory to animals
Publication of Orgin of Species
Russel Wallace wrote
an essay summarizing
evolutionary change
from his field work in
Malaysia
Gave Darwin the drive
to publish his findings
Natural Selection & Artificial
Selection
Natural variation--differences among
individuals of a species
Artificial selection- nature provides the
variation among different organisms, and
humans select those variations they find
useful.
Evolution by Natural Selection
The Struggle for Existence-members of
each species have to compete for food,
shelter, other life necessities
Survival of the Fittest-Some individuals
better suited for the environment
Natural Selection
Over time, natural
selection results in
changes in inherited
characteristics of a
population. These
changes increase a
species fitness in its
environment
Descent
Descent with Modification-Each living organism has
descended, with changes from other species over time
Common Descent- were derived from common ancestors
Evidence of Evolution
The Fossil Record
Geographic Distribution of Living Things
Homologous Body Structures
Similarities in Early Development
Evidence for Evolution
The Fossil Record-
Layer show change
Geographic
Distribution of Living
Things
Homologous Body
Structures
Similarities in Early
Development
Evidence of Evolution
The Fossil Record
Geographic
Distribution of
Living Things-similar
environments have
similar types of
organisms
Homologous Body
Structures
Similarities in Early
Development
Homologous Structures
Homologous Structures-structures that
have different mature forms in different
organisms, but develop from the same
embryonic tissue
Evidence for Evolution
Vestigial organs-organs that serve
no useful function in an organism
i.e.) appendix, miniature legs, arms
Similarities in Early
Development
Summary of Darwin’s Theory
Individuals in nature differ from one
another
Organisms in nature produce more
offspring than can survive, and many of
those who do not survive do not reproduce.
Summary of Darwin’s Theory
Because more organisms are produce than
can survive, each species must struggle for
resources
Each organism is unique, each has
advantages and disadvantages in the
struggle for existence
Summary (cont.)
Individuals best suited for the environment
survive and reproduce most successful
Species change over time
Summary (cont.)
Species alive today descended with modification
from species that lived in the past
All organisms on earth are united into a single
family tree of life by common descent
