Concept 22.1: Why Charles Darwin Matters

Flashcards from Concept 22.1 of Pearson's Campbell Biology, Twelfth Edition.

Charles Darwin

Scientist that proposed evolution by natural selection, changing views of biodiversity

• Born 1809 in England

• Studied medicine and theology at Cambridge, having a passion for natural history

HMS Beagle

Ship that Charles Darwin went on from 1831 to 1836 for a voyage around the world, studying fossils, species, and geology

Charles Lyell

Geologist that influenced Charles Darwin’s views of the Earth’s age

Galapagos Islands

Where Charles Darwin observed finches with varied beaks, island-specific tortoises, and adaptation to local environments

• Sparked his theories of natural selection and evolution

The Origin of Species

1859 book that Charles Darwin published, challenging the belief of a fixed, unchanging species

• Introduced evolution as a scientific theory

• Created controversy for going against religious creationism

Descent with modification

Idea that species accumulate changes over generations with evolution, explaining the unity and diversity of life

• Seen with finches through the islands’ droughts and floods

Genetic variation

Idea in nature where individuals vary in their inherited traits

Overproduction

Idea that more offspring are produced than can survive in a population

Evidence for evolution

Includes:

• Similar fossil records showing homologous structures

• Biogeography (location) of a certain species

• Molecular (DNA) evidence

Homologous structures

Structures (typically made of bone) similar across different species used as evidence of evolution

Survival of the fittest

Idea that individuals with the most desirable traits have better reproductive success in a specific environment, resulting in that trait increasing in number across generations

• Based on environmental — not planned — factors

• Does not necessarily mean that the strongest in a population is the fittest