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Darwin’s Big Breakthrough: Darwin and the Concept of Natural Selection.

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Presentation on theme: "Darwin’s Big Breakthrough: Darwin and the Concept of Natural Selection."— Presentation transcript:

1 Darwin’s Big Breakthrough: Darwin and the Concept of Natural Selection

2 Galapagos Tortoise (domed) (saddlebacked) Notes that tortoises on different islands have differently shaped shells (perhaps from common ancestor but diverged in form due to geographic isolation

3 Marine IguanaLand Iguana Darwin’s Iguanas -The marine iguana is grey-coloured and eats seaweed whereas the land iguana is brownish-coloured and eats land plants. Both presumably arose from a common ancestor, but adapted to different environments

4 Darwin’s Finches seed crushersbitersprobers Again, all of these are related and must have come from common ancestor, but adapted to different conditions/needs.

5 Seed of an idea planted by Thomas Malthus “An Essay on the Principle of Population” (concept of “struggle for existence”) Populations must be kept in check by famine, war, disease; otherwise they grow too large to be supported. (there are winners and losers) Mechanism for Evolutionary Change ?

6 Charles Lyell “Principles of Geology” (uniformitarianism, deep time) Tiny changes over a long period of time amount to large changes

7 -British anatomist and physical anthopologist was one of Darwin’s most fervent supporters -promoted the concept of natural selection in his book as to Man's Place in Nature (1863) Thomas Henry Huxley (“Darwin’s Bulldog”)

8 Abstract on Natural Selection in 1842 Marries Emma Wedgewood Receives essay by Alfred Russel Wallace on studies in Brazil (similar conclusions as Darwin’s) Joint presentation by Darwin and Wallace before Linnean Society On the Origin of Species published 1859 Rebuttal before British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1860 (Oxford Bishop Samuel Wilburforce opposes Darwin) - Huxley supports Darwin The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex published in1967 Darwin dies in 1882

9 Principles of Natural Selection: 1. All living things vary 2. All living things tend to produce many offspring 3. Numbers of species tend to remain constant Deductions: 1. There is a struggle for existence 2. In this struggle, only the fittest survive Herbert Spencer (reporter) -- “survival of the fittest”

10 End of Lecture


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