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Natural Selection Argumentative Analysis

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One of the most important contributions made to the science of evolution by Charles Darwin is the concept of natural selection. The idea that members of a species compete with each other for resources and that individuals that are better adapted to their lifestyle have a better chance of surviving to reproduce revolutionized the field of evolution (Darwin, 1859), in addition The theory of natural selection is conditions of a habitat will 'naturally select ' individuals who are best adapted to that specific environment. Those individuals are more likely to grow to adulthood and reproduce. In short, sexual selection will vary according to environmental conditions. though it was not accepted until several decades after Darwin first proposed it …show more content…

All australopithecines possess anatomical characteristics of the pelvis, femur and spinal column that facilitate bipedal locomotion. Whether or not the australopithecines were fully adapted bipeds is still hotly debated in the literature. There are several important adaptations to bipedal locomotion that can be observed on skeletal material. First, the foramen magnum is shifted forward, underneath the skull. This positioning is indicative of the angle at which the spinal cord enters the skull (Tobias, 1998). The 's ' shape of the spine aids in balancing while walking on two legs (Johanson and Edgar, 2006). Adaptations more directly related to bipedal locomotion can be observed in the pelvis, the bones of the leg and the foot. The pelvis of a bipedal hominid is wide, with relatively short ilia that form a basin to support the internal organs. This arrangement facilitates the positioning of the hip muscles laterally with respect to the legs, enhancing balance while walking on two legs (Johanson and Edgar, 2006). The neck of the femur is lengthened in bipeds, adding leverage to the hip abductors and increasing the efficiency of bipedal locomotion (Boyd and Silk, 2003). Additionally, the articulation between the femur and the pelvis, and the arrangement of the knee ensure good distribution of weight while walking (Johanson and Edgar, 2006). The tibia also displays several features which indicate weight transfer from one leg to another: a relatively large proximal condyle and a near right angle between the proximal shaft and proximal articular

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One of the factors that on the feedback loop is bipedalism. It was proceeded as primate adaptive strategy, evolved in hominin adaptive strategy, and optimized in human adaptive strategy. We might be able to have questions such as did hominins walk bipedally? or are they bipedalism primates? If so, what kinds of hominins have bipedalism?

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The longitudinal axis movement starts when the horse moves its right back paw, losing the balance to the front and left side, consequently to recover the balance, the animal lengthens its neck and lowers its head, and then moves the front left paw to compensate the displaced weight. However when the horse steps with the front left paw, it slows the movement and lose the balance of the rider in the front, for which reason it raises the neck to stop the displacement of the practitioner, reaching the chance of move the right back paw and sustain its weight, later the horse moves the left back paw and impulses itself to the front and right, consequently stepping with the front right limb and starting the movement again, however at this time losing

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As our book states, in the 1970s, the children that resided in orphanages had to live in extremely depraved conditions due to lack of funding. They had no interaction with adults, other children, or even the outside world. They almost never left their cots which they slept on. These cots were also surrounded by sheets so they never were able to see other humans or the outside. The children in these orphanages that were never adopted never recovered from the years of deprivation and therefore, developed permanent cognitive defects (Cacioppo & Freberg, 2013).

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The legs in motion are much more clearly seen sideways as their images are in two dimension (Spivey, 2005)

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Upon further analysis, an article called Runaway Social Selection in Human Evolution gives insight into Darwin’s ideas on the descent of humans and Alexander’s runaway social and sexual selection. Sexual selection occurs to increase mating. Species will often pick the most fit to mate with, this increases their chance of survival and ensures their lineage will survive in the future (Crespi et al., 2022). Traits enhance over time due to selective pressures, the favorable traits are passed on, and become adaptive traits. As species continue to mate, these traits will be favored among that population (Crespi et al., 2022).

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So it is important to address the question of whether correlation entails causation. First, let’s explore some of the morphological characteristics that allow for bipedal locomotion and then we will examine a few of the leading hypothesis into why and how bipedalism was favourably selected in the hominin lineage. So there are several morphological characteristics which differentiate human and chimp bipedalism, firstly, chimps are unable to fully extend their knee joints, making it physically impossible for them to stand straight. Chimps also lack the valgus angle which is critical for efficient bipedal locomotion. The human femur is angled inward from the side of the knee, maintaining the body’s centre of gravity over the knees and feet , allowing for more efficient balance and energy conservation.

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In this chapter, Darwin is very concerned about the topic of natural selection. He makes the point that just like in artificial selection where breeders might choose a particular feature in organisms and preserve this feature by breeding organisms with this trait more than organisms lacking the trait. Darwin mentions that nature acts in the same way, choosing some variations which are beneficial to the organisms in a specific environment and these variations are the ones which are said to be advantageous. If organisms do not naturally have variations which make them adapt easier to their environment they’re more likely to die out and be extinct. Darwin also discusses the concept of sexual selection which plays a huge role in species evolution.

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The dynamic that caused the upright position in australopithecines and modern humans was that the hip joint, where the

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329 Words | 2 Pages

Sexual selection was proposed by Charles Darwin as a special form of selection that could result from either competition between members of one sex for the opposite sex or selective mate choice by one sex for the opposite sex. The process by which female choice may yield the elaborate modification of male traits that are attractive to females has appropriately been called runaway selection. Runaway selection occurs because female choice may provoke rapid and extreme directional evolutionary change in male traits. The role of random mutation in the process of evolution by sexual selection and the factors that set limits on runaway selection also are introduced in the simulation (Zuk, Blumer, & Gray, 2012). Sexual selection is one of the fastest-growing

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532 Words | 3 Pages

Today, the biological theory known as sexual selection is a widely accepted topic that is taught in many classrooms; however, during Darwin’s time sexual selection remained controversial among the scientific community. In ‘Sex, Society, and Peacock Tails: Sexual Selection from Darwin to Modern Times,’ Zuk and Orr explain how Darwin’s theory of sexual selection has evolved since the 1800s. Additionally, they address the many aspects associated with sexual selection today, offering the opinions of many scientists in the field of study. Many early scientists debated the validity of Darwin’s claims, but today the field of sexual selection has made many advancements based upon these initial theories.

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502 Words | 3 Pages

Adaptations require a reproductive advantage to become fixed in a population. Bipedality has many negative factors including increased risk of injury, decreased speed and agility, and the inability to cooperatively carry infants. Considering these drawbacks of bipedality, there had to be an extreme selective pressure to adapt bipedality. Ape populations declined as the Miocene progressed, except for hominids. This was a result of the Miocene apes becoming increasingly K-selected.

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930 Words | 4 Pages

Natural Selection is the long gradual process in which Biological traits either become more or less common in a population as a function of the effect of inherited traits on the differential reproductive success of organisms interacting with their environment. In Darwin’s work The Origin of Species he also mentioned evidence for the Theory of Evolution from his voyage around the world on The H.M.S. Beagle. The Origin of Species is probably the most influential work on evolutionary biology. The Origin of Species will help prove my thesis because it introduces the ideas that we base on evolutionary biology today.

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558 Words | 3 Pages

Social Darwinism. What is Social Darwinism really? Social Darwinism is basically the survival of the fittest. The holocaust was a tragic decimation which resulted in some people not being able to ever trust again. Before they went into the Jewish Hostage takeover the people were normal and true to themselves, but during in the middle of the takeover when they were at camp all that were on their minds is how am I going to get out of here and have myself.

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1065 Words | 5 Pages

Studies show that walking on two legs requires less energy and is therefore more advantageous to the hominid. A study was done to assess the energy level of chimps when walking on a treadmill, on two and four legs. The results displayed that walking on four legs required 75% more energy than walking on two, thus confirming the theory that it is more effective and

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761 Words | 4 Pages

Stands on tiptoe. Kicks a ball. Climbs onto and down from furniture without support. Walks up and down stairs with support.

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