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Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
The so-called “Father of Evolution” was born February 12th, 1809, in Shrewsbury, Shropshire England. Darwin studied medicine at Edinburgh University, following Theology at Christ’s College of the University of Cambridge. Charles Darwin is the author of “On the Origin Species”, which discusses what natural selection is and how it impacted the theory of evolution. Although Victorian England (and the rest of the world) was slow to embrace natural selection as the mechanism that drives evolution, the concept of evolution itself gained widespread traction by the end of Darwin’s life. Darwin is one of the most influential naturalists of all time, especially in geology. Like most of the naturalists during this time, Darwin thought that species were fixed and immutable throughout the Earth’s history. He then traveled the world on the HMS Beagle and changed his mind. Darwinism is Charles Darwin’s theory of what organisms he believes should be able to survive. Furthermore, Darwinism is described as the “survival of the fittest” which means that an organism strength or athletic ability is fit enough to survive and reproduce. Charles Darwin was important because he impacted science and the way we think about our world. He developed a theory about evolution and has had far-reaching effects on science and the way we understand life.
What is Darwinism?
What is Darwinism?
Darwinism is the theory that human groups and races are subject to the same laws of natural selection as Charles Darwin perceived in plants and animals in nature. The five main points of Darwinism include competition, adaption, variation, overproduction, speciation. Competition is the demand by organisms for limited environmental resources, such as nutrients, living space, or light. Adaption is inherited characteristics that increase chance of surviva. Variation is known as the occurrence of an organism in more than one distinct color or form. Overproduction is when more organisms are produced than can live. Speciation is the formation of new species as a result of geographic, physiological, anatomical, or behavioral factors that prevent previously interbreeding populations from breeding with each other. These 5 factors are what make up the theory of Darwinism. This theory of Darwinism is important because without it we would not have natural selection and evolution.
Source: Godhead.com
Darwin & the Finches
Darwin & the Finches
The Galapagos
The Galapagos
One of Charles Darwin's most influential experiments in the field of evolution and natural selection occurred in the Galapagos Islands with a species of small birds, called finches. The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago, or chain of islands, made up of 13 major islands located just west of Ecuador. These islands lay along the Pacific Ocean equator providing a home to many organisms of all different shapes and sizes ("Galapagos Islands").
In the experiments Darwin conducted, he was able to observe physical differences among finches based on the environment they were living in and the differing types of food that were available to each of the species. With this abundance of warmth and a primarily volcanic terrain, some of the organisms found in the Galapagos are found nowhere else in the world. More importantly for Darwin, the Galapagos is home to 26 species of birds. Thirteen of those Twenty-six species of birds are known today as “Darwin’s Finches” (Fourtané, 2019). What Darwin was able to conclude after spending five weeks in the Galapagos is that each of these species was adapted to their particular environment and food source. For instance, there was the ground finch whose beak was thick––which allowed it to feed on a variety of seeds and arthropods. Another example is the warbler finch, whose long, slender beak allows it to reach food in between thick foliage. Finally, there is the small tree finch, which has a curved beak to better adapt them to eating insects ("Darwin's finches"). Although once being a single species, we can see that the common ancestor has branched out into thirteen different species of finch. They may look very similar in appearance, but the different finches are physically suited to each of their differing environments. This may mean changes in beak shape, size, or width. These changes are a result of natural selection, in which each finch is best adapted to their food source and environment, allowing them to reproduce and pass on the traits that allowed them to be successful.
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