Charles Darwin 1809-1882

born Feb. 1809 died April 1882

british naturalist

enrolled at the University of Edinburgh to study medicince

revolted by the brutality of sugery and neglected his studies

joined the Plinial Society

a group of students interested in natural history

1827 enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts course at Christ's College, Cambridge

1831–1836 Voyage of the Beagle

expedition to chart the coastline of South America

1837 was elected to the Council of the Geographical Society

stomach and heart problems due to overwork

1839 marriage to Emma Wedgwood

1842 First unpublished ideas on Evolution

1859 Publication of The Origin of Species

1882 Death on April 19th

1842 The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs

1854 Barnacles

the Origin of Species (1859)

I. Evolution did occur

II. evolutionary change was gradual, requiring thousands to millions of years

III. the primary mechanism for evolution was a process called natural selection

survival or extinction is determined by that organism's ability to adapt to its environment

I. CHANGES in the environment

II. Competition between & within species

III. Variation, naturally occuring

Ex. Darwin's Finches

IV. all species have one common ancestor

many species result of DIVERGENCE made possible by ISOLATION

1871 The Descent of Man

1881 The Formation of Vegetable Mould

found fossils of extinct animals that were similar to modern species

Mechanisms of Change

Mutation

a change in the DNA sequence

Genetic Variation/Gene Flow/ Migration

any movement of genes from one population to another

Genetic Drift

a change in the gene pool of a small population that takes place strictly by chance

Natural Selection

Artificial Selection

allowing only the plants and animals with desirable characteristics to reproduce

fossil evidence

anatomical evidence

checking for common ancestry

Ex. : homologous structures

molecular evidence

how evolution has occurred

Compare the DNA base sequence