Bio - Handout 19: Introduction to Evolution

Evolution - the change in the heritable characteristics of a population over time; the diversity of life

Charles Darwin - (1858) an English naturalist who is best known for his theory of evolution by natural selection; the Father of evolution; along with Alfred Wallace, thought species could change and proposed the mechanism of natural selection driving evolution

The Origin of Species - a book written by Charles Darwin in 1859 that presents his theory of evolution by natural selection, which explains how species change over time to adapt to their environment; considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology

HMS Beagle - a survey ship that sailed around the world from 1831 to 1836. The primary mission of the voyage was to chart the stretches of the South American coast that were poorly known to Europeans. On this voyage, Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution by natural selection by visiting the Galapagos Islands and observing its unique species.

Alfred Wallace - (1858) along with Charles Darwin, thought species could change; he proposed the mechanism of natural selection driving evolution

Aristotle - (300 B.C.) viewed species as fixed and arranged them on a scala naturae (ladder)

Scala naturae - the “scale of nature” that was a concept developed by Aristotle that viewed species as fixed and unchanged on a ladder of complexity.

Carolus Linnaeus - (1730’s) viewed species as fixed and classified organisms (taxonomy) by phenotypic similarities (physical characteristics)

Taxonomy - classification of organisms

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck - (1809) hypothesized that species could change/evolve; proposed the mechanism of ‘use and disuse’ of body parts

Use and disuse - a principle created by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck stating that characteristics of an organism can change over time based on how much they use or don’t use a certain body part; muscles change over time, the frequently used muscles become stronger and be passed down, while unused ones become weaker.

Geology - the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change

James Hutton - (1795) established gradualism

Gradualism - natural processes change the earth over longer periods of time, established by James Hutton

Charles Lyell - (1830) established uniformitarianism

Uniformitarianism - the natural processes of gradualism have been constant and working long before humans existed, established by Charles Lyell

Paleontology - the study of fossils

Georges Cuvier - founded paleontology in 1812

Economics - a social science that studies the processes that govern the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services in an economy (Thomas Malthus 1798, simple exponential growth)

Thomas Malthus - involved in economics and established ‘simple exponential growth’ (1798)

Simple Exponential Growth - a model created by Thomas Malthus showing that the population grows faster than the resources the population needs

Malthusian catastrophe - the spot on Thomas Malthus’ simple exponential growth model where the population and the production of food are at equilibrium

T.H. Huxley - “Darwin’s Bulldog” who was involved in the Wilberforce Debate (the debate on whether evolution occurs); defended Darwin’s ideas on evolution as well as an advocate of the scientific method

Wilberforce Debate - the debate on whether evolution occurs

Galapagos Islands - a group of volcanic islands located in the Pacific Ocean that are known for their unique wildlife, which inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection. The animals on these islands were slightly different than animals elsewhere because they were adapting to their specific environment over time (natural selection)

Darwin’s Finches - known for their beak variations, which are adapted to the specific foods available on their home islands

Artificial Selection - a process in which individuals with favorable inherited traits are selectively chosen to breed by humans

Adaptation - a change by which a group of organisms becomes better suited towards it environment over time

Speciation - the formation of new species

Natural Selection - a process in which individuals with certain heritable traits survive and reproduce at a higher than others because of those traits.