Darwin's Theory: The Driving Force Of Evolution By Natural Selection

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection remains one of the best known theories in science today. However, The Origin of Species had a significant impact on society when it was published in the late 19th century. The idea of evolution and natural selection uprooted many popular ideas at the time and led to the creation of new movements. Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection impacted 19th century society in a scientific perspective, a sociological perspective through the rise of social Darwinism, and a theological perspective in the debate between evolution and creationism.

Darwin’s theory of evolution proposed a mechanism for decent with modification. His studies resulted in the proposal of two forms of selection, including sexual selection and natural selection. (3) The concept of sexual selection was developed by Darwin to account for many adaptations that appear incompatible with natural selection (3). Natural selection is a major component of evolution however it is still not fully understood. (2)

Charles Darwin originally argued that all existing organism are the modified descendants of one or a few simple ancestors that arose on Earth in the distant past (Smith, 1989). Darwin also argued that the main driving force of evolution is what he defined as natural selection. Natural selection is the process that reproductively successful or environmentally well-adapted traits of individuals, is often as a result of mutation, inherited and become a part of a population’s traits through generations (Bell, 2008). In simple words, natural selection is a change in an allele frequency in a population over time. In order to prove this idea, Darwin carried out artificial genetic

The evolution theory, one of the most significant theories, laid groundwork for the study of modern biological science. This theory has lead scientists into unending debates due to lack of empirical supports. Until the mid-eighteenth century, when Charles Darwin came up with an explanation to evolution, scientists, then, began to endorse this hypothesis. In “Natural Selection,” Darwin explains the natural selection, a plausible mechanism that causes evolution, to gain approval of his cynical audience for his evolution theory. He supports his claim with numerous examples of animals and plants that have developed traits beneficial for survival. A century later, Stephen Jay Gould, influenced by Darwin’s work, supports the evolution theory

In the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin gives a detailed explanation of his observations and on the Theory of evolution by natural selection. Darwin’s theory of natural selection is based on his observations aboard H.M.S. Beagle and recorded data in South America and neighbouring islands. Darwin records that there is more variety in Domestic species than in species in nature due to the random selection. He also explains that

Through his observation of finches, Darwin enumerated the three conditions or traits necessary in order for natural selection to take place. However, these three conditions convey only what was observable at the time, rather than the underlying genetic processes taking place. His first condition was that, “There is variation among individuals.” What Darwin observed was morphological or phenotypical differences, and these in turn produced an individual either better or worse suited to survival and reproduction. Second, “The variation is inherited by offspring,” means that these differences in traits must be able to be passed down to future

Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection states that “It’s the process by which an

What makes humans such a successful species is the unique skill of altering the environment around us to suit our needs. According to figure 1.4 in our books, humans started to domesticate plants and animals around 10,000 years ago. Domestication of plants and animals for our own personal use of food, clothes and labor all contributed to our cultural change from hunter-gatherers into farmers. This domestication cancels out Darwin’s Theory of natural selection, because now humans were in charge of what traits live on causing artificial selection. For example a championship horse breeder wants to breed with another championship horse in order to create a horse with amazing racing genes all around. This example works for anything humans have

Natural selection is the notion that all forms of life have ultimately from a single common ancestor. Darwin argued about how “all the organic beings which have ever lived on this Earth have been descended from some primordial form.”

Over time, different species learn to adapt to their living environment in order to survive. If a genetic change of a characteristic is passed down through generations, a formation of a new species occurs (G, Linstead et. al., 2012). A variation to the characteristic of an individual can increase its survival and this provides more opportunities to reproduce. When the individual reproduces, the offspring benefit in result of the heritable genes and eventually through generations, the variants will be spread throughout the entire population (Montgomery, 2009). Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection can be supported through both fossils and homologous structures.

Before I get into detail about Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection, I should probably tell you about him and his life first. He was born in shrewsbury, England, on the 12th of February 1809. He was born after a long line of scientists, with his father being a medical doctor, and his grandfather a renowned botanist. Once he was sixteen, he and his brother went to Edinburgh university. Through his education and experience, Charles decided not to do medical work due to blood, but was inclined to study natural history. His mentor and botanist professor, John Stevens Henslow had suggested Darwin for a naturalist’s position aboard the HMS beagle. In 1831, Charles embarked on a five year voyage on the HMS beagle. After coming back, Darwin’s

According to Simon et al, evidence of evolution is apparent and has been for many decades. Fossils are one way to prove the theory of evolution. They can be found inside sedimentary rocks that are covering dead creatures. Over thousands of years these rocks form layer upon layers. These layers of rocks make up what is called a fossil record. Each layer contains creatures that lived millions of years ago. (Simon, 2015) Sometimes the fossil record does get lost in the translation due to damage. This fact makes the fossil record very intricate, but sometimes hard to

Charles Darwin, a pioneer for evolutionary biology, made a claim that “natural selection” allows for animals to adapt and fit better to their surroundings. According to Darwin, the initial cause of evolution is variation. These slight variations – caused by external conditions like climate, geographical location, and food availability – can give a species a characteristic that is desired; therefore, it allows them to survive, reproduce successfully, and pass those desired genes to the next generation. For instance, he has made evident that the exponential growth of the human population is due to mankind’s ability to make their food source more accessible. Darwin has also pointed out the significance of a predator-prey relationship. By using

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).

While on this journey around the world, Darwin noticed that species had different variations to them that, based on the specific location, allowed them to survive in that area. It was this observation that initiated his interest in the particular matter. He believed that the species that he observed, though they were all similar, were able to survive in certain areas due to what he called natural selection. This term basically means that species went through evolutionary changes over time which produced variations within them. These variations added to their ability to aid in their survival. A parent with this variation passed it on to their offspring and so on. This variation added to their abilities and those who did not have this ability would die off while those who did possess it would continue to survive. Darwin concluded that the scarcity of resources in certain areas contributed to these variations. In other words, when an area is overly populated and