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Charles Darwin is one of the best-known scientists of all time. Figure 7.1 shows Darwin as a young man in the 1830s. Why is Darwin so famous? His theory of evolution was a major leap forward in human understanding. It explains and unifies all of life science.
Darwin proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection. Evolution is a change in the inherited traits of organisms over time. Natural selection is the process by which living things with beneficial traits produce more offspring, so their traits become more common over time. During Darwins voyage on the Beagle, he made many observations that helped him form his theory of evolution. Some of his most important observations were made on the Galpagos Islands. They included observations of giant tortoises and finches. Darwin was also influenced by his knowledge of artificial selection and the ideas of Lamarck, Lyell, and Malthus. Darwin spent many years working on a book about his theory of evolution by natural selection. He finally published On the Origin of Species in 1859.
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Darwins theory of evolution by natural selection contains two major ideas: One idea is that evolution happens. Evolution is a change in the inherited traits of organisms over time. Living things have changed as descendants diverged from common ancestors in the past. The other idea is that evolution occurs by natural selection. Natural selection is the process in which living things with beneficial traits produce more offspring. As a result, their traits increase in the population over time.
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How did Darwin come up with the theory of evolution by natural selection? A major influence was an amazing scientific expedition he took on a ship called the Beagle. Darwin was only 22 years old when the ship set sail. The trip lasted for almost five years and circled the globe. Figure 7.2 shows the route the ship took. It set off from Plymouth, England in 1831. It wouldnt return to Plymouth until 1836. Imagine setting out for such an incredible adventure at age 22, and youll understand why the trip had such a big influence on Darwin. Darwins job on the voyage was to observe and collect specimens whenever the ship went ashore. This included plants, animals, rocks, and fossils. Darwin loved nature, so the job was ideal for him. During the long voyage, he made many observations that helped him form his theory of evolution. Some of his most important observations were made on the Galpagos Islands. The 16 Galpagos Islands lie 966 kilometers (about 600 miles) off the west coast of South America. (You can see their location on the map in Figure 7.2.) Some of the animals Darwin observed on the islands were giant tortoises and birds called finches. Watch this video for an excellent introduction to Darwin, his voyage, and the Galpagos:
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The Galpagos Islands are still famous for their giant tortoises. These gentle giants are found almost nowhere else in the world. Darwin was amazed by their huge size. He was also struck by the variety of shapes of their shells. You can see two examples in Figure 7.3. Each island had tortoises with a different shell shape. The local people even could tell which island a tortoise came from based on the shape of its shell. Darwin wondered how each island came to have its own type of tortoise. He found out that tortoises with dome- shaped shells lived on islands where the plants they ate were abundant and easy to reach. Tortoises with saddle- shaped shells, in contrast, lived on islands that were drier. On those islands, food was often scarce. The saddle shape of their shells allowed tortoises on those islands to reach up and graze on vegetation high above them. This made sense, but how had it happened?
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Darwin also observed that each of the Galpagos Islands had its own species of finches. The finches on different islands had beaks that differed in size and shape. You can see four examples in Figure 7.4. Darwin investigated further. He found that the different beaks seemed to suit the birds for the food available on their island. For example, finch number 1 in Figure 7.4 used its large, strong beak to crack open and eat big, tough seeds. Finch number 4 had a long, pointed beak that was ideal for eating insects. This seemed reasonable, but how had it come about?
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Darwin knew that people could breed plants and animals to have useful traits. By selecting which individuals were allowed to reproduce, they could change an organisms traits over several generations. Darwin called this type of change in organisms artificial selection. You can see an example in Figure 7.5. Keeping and breeding pigeons was a popular hobby in Darwins day. Both types of pigeons in the bottom row were bred from the common rock pigeon at the top of the figure.
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There were three other scientists in particular that influenced Darwin. Their names are Lamarck, Lyell, and Malthus. All three were somewhat older than Darwin, and he was familiar with their writings. Jean Baptiste Lamarck was a French naturalist. He was one of the first scientists to propose that species change over time. In other words, he proposed that evolution occurs. Lamarck also tried to explain how it happens, but he got that part wrong. Lamarck thought that the traits an organism developed during its life time could be passed on to its offspring. He called this the inheritance of acquired characteristics. Charles Lyell was an English geologist. He wrote a famous book called Principles of Geology. Darwin took the book with him on the Beagle. Lyell argued that geological processes such as erosion change Earths surface very gradually. To account for all the changes that had occurred on the planet, Earth must be a lot older than most people believed. Thomas Malthus was an English economist. He wrote a popular essay called On Population. He argued that human populations have the potential to grow faster than the resources they need. When populations get too big, disease and famine occur. These calamities control population size by killing off the weakest people.