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Charles Darwin's Theory Of Natural Selection

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Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution is the widely known idea that all lives on earth are related, due to the factor of having descended from the same ancestor. The theory proposed that the complex creatures had evolved from more simplistic ancestors which had existed before them. From time to time, it is not rare to see random mutations to occur within an organism's genetic code, yet, some beneficial mutations are said to be preserved because they increase the rate of survival. This happens during a process known as "natural selection", whereas the beneficial mutations are passed down to the next generation. Over time, the traits resulted from the beneficial mutations tend to become permanent, creating an entirely different organism from its original species. [allaboutscience.org, 2002]
To simply explain the concept of natural selection, let’s use the classic example of the owl butterfly, by imagining the ancestor that might have developed into this species thousands of generations ago. The ancestors had several exceptions among them—a few butterflies had dark spots on their wings, which looked a little like eyes—making the predators avoid them and eat the ones with no spots instead. Overtime, the population of this species would include …show more content…

However, Darwin had stated that it is not a fast process and may take much more time than predicted. As he himself had put it, “Natural selection acts only by taking advantage of slight successive variations; she can never take a great and sudden leap, but must advance by short and sure, though slow steps.” [Darwin, 1860] Not only is the process slow, Darwin also concluded that the traits must be inheritable in order for the next generation to multiply and thrive due to the higher chance of survival. Because of that reason, carriers of this certain type of trait would become more and more common. [Khan,

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The purpose of this experiment was to conduct a long-term population genetics study by observing five generations of Drosophila melanogaster to determine the allele frequencies of eye color. Population genetics is the study of distribution and change in allele frequency in a population (). This makes population genetics important to the study of evolutionary biology as it examines adaptations, speciation, and the population structure of a population under study (). Two important processes of population genetics that will be examined in this experiment are natural selection and genetic drift, both that are important to evolution ().

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In short, Darwin's theory of natural selection is that individuals with traits (genetic or otherwise) advantageous to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce than others (of the same species, but without those advantageous traits). For example, a colony of rabbits is born in the woods. Some rabbits are tan-ish grey, while others are albino. Furthermore, while some rabbits have stronger legs, others are weak. Due to not blending in well with their surroundings, and not being able to run or kick as fast, some of these rabbits will have a lower chance of survival than their siblings.

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Darwin returns to the topic of natural selection and explains it more in depth. He uses his previous example of a breeder choosing the desirable traits in organisms to produce the perfect offspring. Humans alter the physical characteristics whereas nature can also modify internal characteristics. In natural selection, variations that are useful give organisms tend to be preserved and passed down while harmful ones are eliminated. Those that are neither harmful nor beneficial reappear every so often.

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The analogy of selective breeding was used by Darwin to explain natural selection. Darwin’s most famous theory is the natural selection. Natural selection is the evolutionary change that comes through the production of variation in different generation and differential survival of individuals with different combinations of theses variable characters. The first reasoning is drawn from three facts which Darwin observed in the natural world around him. He saw that organisms produce more offspring than is required to replace themselves, so the population size increase rapidly.

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Evolution is an idea that is not yet completely comprehended. Charles Darwin, Father of Evolution, explained that two different species could share a common ancestor in his On the Origin of Species article; this theory was based on the idea of natural selection, which proposed the idea and understanding of the process of evolution to scientists. The idea of natural selection gave rise to adaptions from traits through other processes known as adaptationism. Adaptationists, including Stephen J. Gould and Richard Lewontin, believe most traits are optimal adaptations, and adaptationaism emphasize natural selection as having such power as to cause an evolutionary optimum. In the article, The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian paradigm: a Critique of the adaptationist programme, Gould and Lewontin proposed that developmental and phyletic constraints play a major role in explaining the history of evolution.

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We have probably all heard of natural selection but do we really know what it means? There are some statements that could lead people to misunderstand different scientific concepts or any concepts or issues in general. The term natural selection might seem like a simple term but it holds complexities within its two syllables and in order to have a clear understanding of it one must be able to differentiate between an individual and a whole species. As defined in the textbook, a species consist of a diverse population of individual while an individual is a single entity within the species. A person who is currently taking Anthropology 1 can identify at least three misconceptions and provide a thorough explanation to rectify these errors.

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The authors come to the conclusion that the evolutionary meanings or pattens cannot be understood by viewing secondary adaptations as the reason for the pattern itself. They make it very obvious that it is the pattern that controls the traits and not

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All creatures on Earth change relentlessly to adapt and survive in a new environment. Human beings are not an exception to this rule. Evolution by Hall and Hallgrimson had stated that Darwin’s theory of evolution is a change in genetic traits of biological population from one generation to another. The dominant, or adaptable genes will replace the recessive genes in the gene segment. The whole process of evolution, however, does not happen rapidly.

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Darwinism, as the name states, was introduced by Charles Darwin and expanded by other remarkable scientists and it states that all species of organisms will arise through the natural selection of minor, inherited changes that will enlarge the individual's ability to fight, survive and reproduce. As Allen Orr also mention in his article for The New Yorker “Evolution largely reflects the combined action of random mutation and natural selection” (Orr 236). The few basics of Darwinism are Variation, which means traits and features in individuals of species are slightly varied, second is inheritance, traits and features of individuals will be passed on their offspring, third competition, Species within species will fight for survival and reproduction and finally, Natural Selection, which states individuals born with traits and features have an advantage over the ones below them in terms of reproduction and survival also mostly likely passing it on to their offspring.

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The selection theory The natural selection theory postulate that most mutation/changes that lead to evolution are deleterious, a few are neutral and very few are advantageous. The mutations are essential

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(text book Pg 20) Darwin discovered that each island had its own species of finches. He graded the finches on beak shape and size, some had large strong beaks, long slender beaks Darwin collected around thirteen different small brown and black finches. The large beaks were for eating large seeds and the small beaks were eating small soft seeds He came to the idea that these species were modified from the original species. He called the differences in the species “natural selection” differential reproductive success over multiple generations.

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says it as pre-life). He stressed the purely naturalistic descent with modification. That is complex creatures evolve from more simplistic ancestors naturally over time. In short, as casual genetic mutations take place within an organism’s genetic code, the beneficial mutations are preserved because they aid survival, a process known as ‘natural selection’. These favourable mutations are passed on to then generation.

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Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection explain that organism’s trait favored by their environment are more likely to survive and successfully pass down their gene. There are varieties in a population of organisms. Some heritable traits are passed down to the next generation. Individuals with the traits that are favored by their environment are better adapted to survive and reproduce. More organisms are produced than the environment can hold.

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Charles Darwin became famous for his theory of natural selection. This theory suggests that a change in heritability traits takes place in a population over time. This is due to random mutations that occur in the genome of an individual organism, and offspring can inherit these mutations. This was defined as the key to evolution, this is because random mutations arise in the genome of an individual. Until the 19th century, the prevailing view in western societies was that differences between individuals of species were uninteresting departures from their platonic ideals of created kinds.

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A long time ago in a school not so far away a peculiar event occurred,that I will never forget. It all started on the first day of school. It was my first year at Finley Farms Elementary and I was ready for the second grade, or so I thought. I entered my classroom and was happy to learn.

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