Darwins Voyage and Darwins Revolution in Thought

Bio 312 Exam 1

When did Darwin publish his Origin of Species?

1859 was when it was published. Remember he was born in 1809 so exactly 50 years later.

Natural Selection

1. There is variation within all populations

2. Some of that variation is heritable

3. Some variation may affect survival and reproduction rates, in turn becoming more common in the next generation of the population

Who was the official Naturalist aboard the HMS Beagle?

Charles darwin was NOT. He was brought onto the ship as Captain Fitzroy’s social companion. The official Naturalist was the ships surgeon; Robert McCormick.

Captain Fitzroy vs Charles Darwin

Captain Fitzroy was a “conservative”, supported slavery, and believed in Natural Theology; god desighned organisms and the harmony of ecosystems.

Charles Darwin was a Whig aka liberal. Professional Abolitionist.

Why did Darwin never use the word “evolution”?

There is no progress in evolution. Natural selection adapts organisms to changing local environments not due to a futuristic goal.

Lamarck, Jean Baptiste

Lamarck was before darwin with the evoluitonary theory. He had a ladder of progress way of thinking. Believed new species are spontaneously created.

What is Lamarckism?

The evolutionary theory of enviornmentally acquired heritable traits, creating new innovationsand speices.

Wallace Alfred

First european to stdy apes. Sent darwin a paper that was super similar to darwins natural selection.

Cuvier, Barin Georges

Explained geologic change via catastrophism: the dramatic and sudden changed are due to supernatural floods and disasters

Lyell, Sir Charles

Explained geologic change via uniformitarianism; the changes are not so sharp and are due to slow processes we currently see.

Plato

Essentialism and the Allegory of the Cave

Aristotle

Scale of Nature, Great Chain of Beings. A ladder of life forms.