Darwin's Theory Of Natural Selection, Questions And Answers

As a naturalist, Darwin discovered how the type species interact differently from the species from other locations that were nearby. That discovery concluded to be the proposal of “natural selection,” which is a principle that explains that nature selects the

The Grant’s are capable of studying Darwin’s theory of natural selection in action, after gathering data from their colleagues, Peter Boag and Laurene Ratcliffe, who would be their watch on Daphne Island. Peter and Laurene witnessed an important event in natural selection, during a life or death situation with the finches. Though the two scientists were anxious for rain, but they did not receive a single drop that season. Rain would mean reproduction and fertility for the finches; however, the birds were faced with e horrible drought. Food became scarce and the finch population declined. Easy seeds to obtain on the ground were nearly gone. The seeds with tougher defenses, such as the caltrop, were usually untouched, since they were hard to crack. The finches with inadequate beaks did not

Lastly is artificial selection, which was one of the main pieces of evidence that Darwin used to identify his theory on evolution. Darwin studied and showed how the selective breeding of crops and animals led to highly specialized varieties with unique traits. By studying this he was able to see first hand how evolution can occur by artificial selection. An example would be the Great Dane. Thousands of years ago, the Great Dane was a medium sized breed, but due to artificial selection, humans were able to create a large breed of Great Dane.

In 1977 a drought reduced the number of small seeds available for the birds, forcing them to rely on larger seeds and nuts, which were difficult for birds with smaller beaks to open. The number of birds unable to eat reduced as they died and gave way to harder beaked finches. Within a couple of generations they had evolved larger beaks. In 2003 another drought struck the Galapagos and as there were many large beaked finches, the food source of nuts dwindled, making the ability to eat smaller seeds an asset. The numbers of larger beaked birds dwindled as food became scarce, leaving the smaller birds to survive and reproduce. Darwin’s theory was not well received when first written in On the Origin of Species, though many scientists today use it as a basis for research in evolution.

He explains that desirable traits are passed from parents to offspring and variation exists among the offspring. The “genetic map” mentioned previously was used to determine the linkage of organisms to their ancestors; therefore, Kingsolver produces a compelling argument that the hummingbird was able to build its complex nest due to principle of evolution.

In addition to natural selection, Charles Darwin extended his research even further with selective breeding which really stirred up controversy. Darwin studied pigeons and noticed that they had many different traits, he also realized that the offspring would variate different mutations here and there, “Believing that it is always best to study some special group, I have, after deliberation, taken up domestic pigeons” (Darwin, C., 1859). The study of the birds was necessary to introduce his theory of natural selection, in which he also extended to

He finally observed that overtime these birds developed different physical characteristics to help them be able to survive and adapt to their surroundings. Darwin developed the “Natural Selection” theory that stated that plants and animals adapt to their surroundings and environments in order to survive. He also stated that older generations of these species would eventually die out, because they do not have the newer characteristics that needed to be developed in order to live.

Charles Darwin’s experiment was not 100% accurate. His definition of mechanism of evolution was quiet accurate but two major factors were missing.

Finches have become almost synonymous with the concept of natural selection, thanks to Charles Darwin. But, while he may have come up with the theory that the finches automatically choose the traits that will benefit their existence, he didn’t really provide any solid proof of this actually happening. Of course you can assume it does because of adaptation and evolution, but it would take more than a few weeks to really get concrete evidence of this happening. Fortunately, Rosemary and Peter Grant provide us with the evidence to support the theory of evolution and natural selection. They head back to the Galapagos Islands to pick up where Darwin left off and find out what really goes on in the process of the

Darwin was, unequivocally, Galton’s most notable relative and someone from whom he drew large inspiration. Darwin became influenced by economist Thomas Malthus, who recognized, “that life is a constant “struggle for existence” and only those best suited for survival will do so” (Goodwin, 2012, p. 135). Malthus’ aforementioned belief was one that Darwin observed during his expedition on the Beagle--Darwin’s ship. Darwin recognizes that the finches he had studied during his voyage to the Galapagos islands varied from each other depending on island location and available food sources; he also notes that these variations assist the finches in survival (i.e. different beak shape to forage a specific food, stronger beaks) (p. 136). The concept that grew from Darwin’s initial findings was the concept of natural selection. Natural selection is defined as the natural process in

3). However, evidence does show that these kind of species do not exist (Darwin par. 3). The second objection to the theory of natural selection is that there are many organs and traits of species that are complicated for natural selection to explain (Darwin par.3). Some of these organs are the brain and the eyes (Darwin par.3). The third objection to the theory of natural selection puts into question how well natural selection can explain animal instincts (Darwin par. 3). The fourth objection to the theory of natural selection puts into question how much are species really different from each other (Darwin par.3). When species are interbred with another species, the offspring’s are generally stronger and healthier than its parents (Darwin par.3). On the book, Origin of Species, Darwin counteracts this objection and states that there is no real distinction between varieties of the same species and separate species (Darwin par.3). He argues that the line between varieties and species is random (Darwin par.3). Although, there are many objections to the theory of natural selection, the theory does argue that species can survive against the struggle for

In order for natural selection to have an effect on a population, said population must face a struggle for survival, such as a food shortage or changes in the environment, during which extinction within the population occurs. This can be illustrated in an ongoing study of Galapagos Island finches carried out by Peter and Rosemary Grant of Princeton University. They found that during a drought in 1977, on the island of Daphne Major, finches that had short, hard beaks could crack open hard seeds and

Charles Darwin has probably made the most significant impact on our modern ideas of evolution. Although he wasn’t the first person to think of evolution, he was the first to try and test it. He then published a book based on his research called The Origin of Species. In his book, he covered five major theories: evolution—species can change over time, common descent—all living things share a common ancestor, speciation—the population of one species separating into two separate species, gradualism—biological change in a population at a slow and steady rate, and natural selection. Natural selection being the dominant force in a much bigger idea where all five occur simultaneously, evolution.

Many scientists believe variations are caused by environmental factors, such as food availability, weather and more; and that species evolve when environmental conditions change to increase the species survival. Darwin censures this idea; he believed that the main cause of variation is due to reproduction (Chapter I). Darwin suggested that parents pass down specific characteristics to their offspring, and those variations are continued on in the following generations. The problem with Darwin’s theory of reproduction is that Darwin did not comprehend how or why some characteristics are perennial and how others are not. Darwin’s inferences on variations also conflict with the idea that God created species independently, which was widely understood by many people in a time where religion was prominent (Chapter II).

Darwin’s theory of evolution is the most commonly accepted theory because of the strong evidence that the theory is built on. One of the most famous examples of Darwin’s theory is the Galapagos finches. Darwin observed different finches from different islands of the Galapagos. He found that the finches from all the different islands had differently evolved beaks. Darwin