Charles Darwin, was an English naturalist best known for his contributions to evolution. Darwin defined evolution as descent with modification. Correspondingly, this is the change over time in the genetic composition of a population. Evolution was mainly influenced by three major ideas that shaped Darwin’s way of thinking: theory of gradualism, principle of uniformitarianism and population view. James Hutton, a Scottish naturalist and creator of the theory of gradualism, proposed that changes in Earth’s geologic features are caused by slow and continuous processes. Likewise, Charles Lyell who was a British geologist incorporated Hutton’s ideas and proposed that “the present is the key to the past”(1). Uniformitarianism, which was Lyell’s principle,
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He was able to study fossils and compare animals living in different locations. There were three main observations that led him to believe that biological evolution-any genetic change in a population that is inherited over generations- could occur (besides the richness that got Darwin thinking about the diversity of organisms). First of all, Darwin found fossils of extinct animals that were related to living animals in the same area. Throughout the voyage, he was also able to observe that island species were related to each other and to other species in other close areas. Finally, Darwin assumes that there must be a geographic distribution of species, because organisms on opposite locations seem to be related due to similar ecological conditions. In other words Darwin concluded that different but related species may live in different habitats but in the same local area and that species may inhabit separated, but in ecologically similar habitats.
In order to find an explanation for change in nature, wisely Darwin studied first change that humans occasion on plants and animals. Darwin learned there are certain traits that breeders look for in order to pass them on from parents to offspring, with the purpose to improve crops and livestock. By all means, artificial selection is the process where nature randomly provides variations and breeders select …show more content…
He also hypothesized that there are certain individual natural-variations that are better suited to life in their specific environment than other individual variations. In other words, those individuals that are better suited are adapted. For instance, an adaptation is any characteristic or variation that increases its ability to survive and reproduce. Additionally, differences in these adaptations affect an individual’s fitness, which describes how well an organism survives and reproduce. In essence, the outcome is that adapted organisms are more likely to endure in fitness than those that are not well endowed. Furthermore, artificial selection is a metaphor for natural selection (2). Natural Selection is the process by which organisms better adapted to the environment are able to survive and reproduce more than those less adapted. For instance, even though Gray Treefrogs and Green Treefrogs live in the same habitat in the United States. Green frogs blend well with green vegetation, but on the bark of a tree is easier for the predator to find it. For this reason, we could say that natural selection favors Treefrogs that live in habitats where they are able to camouflage easily. Likewise, this explains the geographic distribution of Gray and Green Treefrogs, since Grays are more towards the north than
He was able to study fossils and compare animals living in different locations. There were three main observations that led him to believe that biological evolution-any genetic change in a population that is inherited over generations- could occur (besides the richness that got Darwin thinking about the diversity of organisms). First of all, Darwin found fossils of extinct animals that were related to living animals in the same area. Throughout the voyage, he was also able to observe that island species were related to each other and to other species in other close areas. Finally, Darwin assumes that there must be a geographic distribution of species, because organisms on opposite locations seem to be related due to similar ecological conditions. In other words Darwin concluded that different but related species may live in different habitats but in the same local area and that species may inhabit separated, but in ecologically similar habitats.
In order to find an explanation for change in nature, wisely Darwin studied first change that humans occasion on plants and animals. Darwin learned there are certain traits that breeders look for in order to pass them on from parents to offspring, with the purpose to improve crops and livestock. By all means, artificial selection is the process where nature randomly provides variations and breeders select …show more content…
He also hypothesized that there are certain individual natural-variations that are better suited to life in their specific environment than other individual variations. In other words, those individuals that are better suited are adapted. For instance, an adaptation is any characteristic or variation that increases its ability to survive and reproduce. Additionally, differences in these adaptations affect an individual’s fitness, which describes how well an organism survives and reproduce. In essence, the outcome is that adapted organisms are more likely to endure in fitness than those that are not well endowed. Furthermore, artificial selection is a metaphor for natural selection (2). Natural Selection is the process by which organisms better adapted to the environment are able to survive and reproduce more than those less adapted. For instance, even though Gray Treefrogs and Green Treefrogs live in the same habitat in the United States. Green frogs blend well with green vegetation, but on the bark of a tree is easier for the predator to find it. For this reason, we could say that natural selection favors Treefrogs that live in habitats where they are able to camouflage easily. Likewise, this explains the geographic distribution of Gray and Green Treefrogs, since Grays are more towards the north than