ipl-logo

Charles Darwin's Theory Of Natural Selection

583 Words3 Pages

Based on his findings and observations from his travels along with his discussions with fellow scientists of the time, Charles Darwin conceived the theory of natural selection which explained how species originated from common forms and diversified over geological time. Although the immenseness of this theory was not fully grasped at the time, the theory of natural selection may have been the most important idea in the theory of evolutionary processes. However the mechanism by which natural selection causes ‘genetic evolution’ of a species was only later realised when the experiments of Mendel’s publication were discovered.
Example
For the purpose of explaining evolution I would like to cite the classical example of the peppered moth (Biston betularia). This example is taken from the lecture (1) as part of this course. To me this came across as a striking example of the outcome of the driving force of natural selection. …show more content…

In England, at the time of the industrial revolution through studies on museum collections it was found that the frequency of darker morphs was increasing and those of the lighter were decreasing sharply (2). The reason was thought to be that with the onset of the industrial revolution, came a change in colour of tree trunks due to deposition from air pollution. This increased the conspicuousness of the lighter morph and helped the darker to camouflage better from predators. Thus the lighter morphs were more visible to predators and hence more frequently selected against. Through later experiments (3) it had also been shown that the agent of this selection had been birds that predate on the

Show More
Related
760 Words | 4 Pages

For Natural Selection to occur there must be some level of variation among the population that is heritable.

Read More
373 Words | 2 Pages

The Tom Robinson trial that occurred during the summer of this year was a result of an accusation of rape against Robinson by the Ewell family. According to Sheriff Heck Tate’s testimony, he was called to the Ewell residence on the night of November 21st. He found Miss Mayella Ewell beaten up and sprawled on the ground. “Found her lying on the floor in the middle of the front room, one on the right as you go in”(190). After questioning by Robinson’s lawyer, Atticus Finch, he stated that despite Miss Ewell’s injuries, a doctor had not been called.

Read More
769 Words | 4 Pages

Ponyboy Curtis is an interesting character worthy of analysis. In The Outsiders, Ponyboy is a character who wants a better life for himself and his brothers. Ponyboy wants a life in the country away from the city. He is very bright, caring, and outgoing, unlike the greasers he hangs out with. Ponyboy also wants to keep his family together and stable.

Read More
530 Words | 3 Pages

Here, both extremes (traits) are selected. This indicates that most of the individuals in a population exhibit either of the two extremes, with no preference over which extreme is better, while very few individuals show intermediate traits. If shown on a graph, the population bell curve has two peaks with a “valley” in the middle of them. This type of natural selection can lead to speciation, and form two or more different species in areas that go through harsh environmental changes (i.e. pollution). The best example for disruptive selection is the evolution of peppered moth in London at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

Read More
907 Words | 4 Pages

This argues that different species adapt to their environment through mutations and this can also explain how a species can gradually evolve. An organism does not evolve in its lifetime, because species evolve as whole through variations. Whether the variation is in color, structure, or a physical trait, they allow us to tell a species apart from others. An example of this can be seen through any species, but Charles Darwin took close interest in observing mockingbirds when he was visiting the Galapagos Islands. The mockingbirds had subtle differences or variations in their color.

Read More
1672 Words | 7 Pages

The Rose-comb story shows how structural rearrangements can lead to considerable phenotypic change, providing raw material for evolutionary selection, and how pleiotropic effects can be an issue when selection, be it natural or artificial, favours certain traits. The rearrangement of the R1 allele into the R2 allele is a good illustration of how a non-tandem duplication can occur. It also enables experimental validation of separate causality for both altered comb shape and reduced rooster

Read More
1004 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
517 Words | 3 Pages

For centuries, scientists and religious believers alike presented their theories for the origin of humans and other species of organisms on Earth. Probably the most widely recognized and most influential person that has had a lasting imprint in our understanding of life on Earth is Charles Darwin (1809-1882). Darwin was a naturalist that worked diligently and for a long time in hopes of discovering a new theory for the origin of all species. He lived in a period where religion was the explanation for everything, so his ideas were rarely accepted by the public. After visiting the Galapagos Islands and studying the species there, Darwin made strides in his research and understanding where species came from and how they adapted to their environments.

Read More
1126 Words | 5 Pages

Introduction The theory of evolution has been discussed, evaluated, and researched many times since the theory was first brought to light. Darwin’s theory of evolution is said to be divided into two parts, common decent and natural selection (Bouzat, 2014). Many research papers agreeing with Darwin’s theory comment on the diversity of a species and how they have descended from one common ancestor. Natural selection is a process in which species that are better adapted to the environment tend to survive and reproduce (Dictonary.com).

Read More
874 Words | 4 Pages

Although scientists studying evolution had made several observations on anatomical changes in species over time, it was Charles Darwin who conceptualized the theory on evolution. According to the theory of natural selection, there are three requirements for evolution to occur namely variations; genetic component and selection (Buss, 2012). In short, Darwin’s theory of natural selection implied the notion of “survival of the fittest”. Evolutionary psychology stemmed from the goal to study human behavior by looking at evolved psychological mechanisms (Confer et al., 2010). While theory of natural selection was mainly applied on physiology and anatomy adaptations in the past, it has been extended to account for psychological adaptations that have contributed to human survival and

Read More
671 Words | 3 Pages

Charles Robert Darwin, born February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, England, is best known for his work as a naturalist, founding a theory of evolution to explain biological change and for his book The Origin of Species. Darwin greatly influenced the world we live in today. No matter a person’s religious or scientific stance, the process of evolution cannot be denied. Archaeological investigations have proven that species evolve over time, but the unanswered questions are “How?” and “Why?” The answer lies in Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Read More
451 Words | 2 Pages

Natural selection was identified by Charles Darwin as the primary force behind evolution. Other forces may include genetic drift, and mutations. It is also important to note that evolution has two distinct phases. That is microevolution and macroevolution. The purpose of the paper is not to approve or disapprove the concept of evolution but to examine the track thoughts of Charles Darwin and other researchers in this field.

Read More
899 Words | 4 Pages

Biological evolution is a change in the characteristics of living organisms over generations of time. Though a person may be different from their parents; the offspring and the parents will generally look similar. On a wider scope, all humans consist of the same parts; a nose, eyes, mouth, legs, and arms. This basic body plan has stayed similar for thousands of years. However, millions of years ago our ancestors may have had longer hair, sharper teeth, and a smaller brain, mostly due to the environment our ancestors were living in when it was more important to climb a tree than it was to read a book.

Read More
1250 Words | 5 Pages

In 1859, Charls Darwin set out his theory of evolution by natural selection as an explanation for adaptation and speciation. Charles Darwin theory of natural selection is one of the corner stones of morden biology. The concept, published by Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace in a joint presentation of papers in 1858, was elaborated in Darwins influencial 1859 book on the origins of species. Darwins ideas, along with Adam Smith and Karl Max had a profound influence on 19th century thought. The influence of Darwins theory has spread from evolutionary biology to other disciplines, including evolutionary computation, quantum Darwinism, evolutionary

Read More
1644 Words | 7 Pages

Darwin’s theory published in Origin of Species is often thought of as the evolutionary theory, having all that there is to say about the case. Biologists, however, know that the theory of evolution has evolved over time. Darwin’s ideas were merged with ideas from genetics to further evolve the original theory to become the Modern Synthesis. Further, since the Modern Synthesis (MS), scientists have made profound discoveries. The double helix structure of DNA, horizontal gene transfer, gene duplication, and chromosome rearrangements, are all concepts discovered after the establishment of the MS.

Read More

More about Charles Darwin's Theory Of Natural Selection

Related Topics

Open Document