1.4 Darwin

what time period was Darwin?

1809-1882

who was Alfred Russell Wallace?

a British naturalist working in Brazil known to have occassionally corresponded with Darwin and arrived at a similar theory of natural selection

Linnean Society

1858

what information did On the Origin of Species give?

outlined theory of natural selection (driving force of evolution)

what assumptions did natural selection make?

all species are capable of overpopulation (from Malthus)

what is differential survival?

individuals with beneficial traits tend to survive to reproductive age

what is differential reproduction?

individuals with beneficial traits will tend to have more offspring in subsequent generations (i.e. reproductive success)

who coined the term “fitness”?

Charles Spencer

what was “fitness”?

in evolutionary terms, it has nothing to do with being stronger or smarter; differential reproduction and survival (to reproductive age)

how does natural selection operate?

there must be variability for a given trait (acts upon existing trait, doesn’t create)

what is an example of natural selection in operation?

peppered moths having a modeled spotty appearance in an area with birch trees while being dark in an area with darker trees

in what ways does speciation occur?

differential survival and reproduction within the same species over time (i.e. chrono species)

what are genetics considered as?

the currency of evolution

information on genetics

tree of life based upon genome analyses of 3,000 living things