Darwins Bright Idea

Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882)

Born 12 February 1809 Named after his uncle (Charles) and his father (Robert). Referred to as Bobby by his family during his childhood Grandson of Erasmus Darwin
English physician, natural philosopher, physiologist, inventor, and poet

Click HERE for more pictures of Darwins home and birthplace

Charles as a child

Grandpa Erasmus

Voyage of the Beagle (1831-1836)

Click HERE for an interactive voyage of the Beagle

27 December 1831: naturalist of the HMS Beagle

Voyage of the Beagle (1831-1836)

Galapagos Islands
Influenced Darwins thinking the most
Characteristics of organisms varied noticeably
(Click below to watch videos of the Galapagos fauna)

Marine iguanas

Blue-footed boobies

Tortoises

Voyage of the Beagle (1831-1836)

Galapagos Islands
Darwins finches
13 specimens collected Brought home to England and studied by ornithologist John Gould
Are these finches variants of the same species, or are they different species?

Voyage of the Beagle (1831-1836)

Galapagos Islands
Darwins finches
13 specimens collected Brought home to England and studied by ornithologist John Gould
Despite many superficial resemblances, these birds are from distinct species.

John Gould
Zoological Society of London

Voyage of the Beagle (1831-1836)

Galapagos Islands
Darwins finches
13 specimens collected Brought home to England and studied by ornithologist John Gould
If they are from different species, why do they have similar appearances? Are they related to each other? Could it be that they were once part of the same species?

Voyage of the Beagle (1831-1836)

What Darwin noticed during the Beagles journey:
The diversity of life Fitness of organisms
Animals of Australian grasslands 1. Feral pig (wild boar; Sus scrofa) 2. Eastern grey kangaroo(Macrop us giganteus) 3. Dingo (Canis lupus dingo) 4. European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

1 3 4

Voyage of the Beagle (1831-1836)

What Darwin noticed:
The diversity of life Fitness of organisms
Animals of Argentinian grasslands 1. Pampas cat (Leopardus pajeros) 2. Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) 3. Pampas finch (Embernagra platensis) 4. Pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus)

Voyage of the Beagle (1831-1836)

Where did all these life forms come from?

Did you know?

Scientists estimate that around 3 to 20 million species exist today, and that 99.9% of all species that ever lived are now extinct.

Why did different species live in certain places?

Why have so many of them disappeared, and how were they related to living species?

Voyage of the Beagle (1831-1836)

What Darwin noticed:
The diversity of life Fitness of organisms
Ability of an individual to survive and reproduce in its specific environment
Insectivorous pitcher plant (Nepenthes attenboroughii)

Tarsier (Carlito syrichta)

Philippine flying lemur (Cynocephalus volans)

Voyage of the Beagle (1831-1836)

What Darwin noticed:
The diversity of life Fitness of organisms
Ability of an individual to survive and reproduce in its specific environment
Due to physical traits and behaviors that help it adapt to environmental conditions Why are there so many different techniques for survival? How did all these organisms develop the structures that give them their fitness?

On the Origin of Species (1859)

1858 June 18
Darwin received a paper from Alfred Russel Wallace, who was still at the Malay Archipelago.

On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely from the Original Type

On the Origin of Species (1859)

1858 June 18
Darwin received a paper from Alfred Russel Wallace, who was still at the Malay Archipelago.

Wallace had come up with a theory of natural selection that is very similar to my own! :O

On the Origin of Species (1859)

1858 June 18
Darwin received a paper from Alfred Russel Wallace, who was still at the Malay Archipelago.

The struggle for existencethe transmutation of the species

On the Origin of Species (1859)

1858 July 1
Charles Darwin first went public about his views on the evolution of species. The papers of Darwin and Wallace were read at a meeting of the Linnean Society in London. The reaction to this meeting was a mixture of shock, excitement, and stunned silence.

AboutDarwin.com

On the Origin of Species (1859)

Published 24 November 1859 Two main concepts:
Evolution
Common descent

Natural selection

On the Origin of Species (1859)

Evolution: descent with modification
Process of change in species through time Common descent

Natural selection: mechanism for evolution

Adaptations Struggle for existence

On the Origin of Species (1859)

1860 January The repercussions of Origin of Species were mixed. Thomas Huxley and Joseph Hooker thought very highly of it and soon became stronger allies with Darwin. Huxley soon became a ruthless defender of evolution, even going so far as to suggest that mankind was a transmuted ape! Richard Owen was outraged by the Origin. He saw the ideas expressed in the book as being dangerous to society. He also thought the book left too many unanswered questions, and worst of all it leaned natural science away from its respectable position as an investigator of Gods creation. Most readers, however, simply did not understand how natural selection worked. They could not see who or what was doing the selecting. Many assumed God was the selector.

AboutDarwin.com

Thomas Huxley

Joseph Hooker

Richard Owen

On the Origin of Species (1859)

1866 The phrase, Survival of the fittest, was coined by Herbert Spencer in his two volume book: Principles of Biology. It became a substitute for the phrase, natural selection, which led people to think selection required a selector (i.e., God).
AboutDarwin.com

Ideas That Shaped Darwins Theory

Plant & Animal Breeding

Economics

Geology

EVOLUTION

Ideas That Shaped Darwins Theory

ECONOMICS
Competition for limited resources

Woodstock 1969

Ideas That Shaped Darwins Theory

PLANT AND ANIMAL BREEDING
Artificial selection
Variants of domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)

The intervention of humans ensures that only individuals with the most desirable traits produce offspring.

Ideas That Shaped Darwins Theory

GEOLOGY
The Earth is more than just a few thousand years old

Natural Selection
as a Mechanism for Evolution
Overproduction Variation

Competition
Survival to reproduce

Natural Selection
as a Mechanism for Evolution
Overproduction
Each species produces more offspring than will survive to maturity

Variation Competition

Survival to reproduce

Natural Selection
as a Mechanism for Evolution
Overproduction
Each species produces more offspring than will survive to maturity

Variation
There is variation among offspring

Competition

Survival to reproduce

Natural Selection
as a Mechanism for Evolution
Overproduction
Each species produces more offspring than will survive to maturity

Variation
There is variation among offspring

Competition

Struggle for existence

Organisms compete with one another for limited resources

Survival to reproduce

Natural Selection
as a Mechanism for Evolution
Overproduction
Each species produces more offspring than will survive to maturity

Variation
There is variation among offspring

Competition

Struggle for existence

Organisms compete with one another for limited resources

Survival to reproduce

Survival of the fittest

Individuals that possess the most favorable combination of characteristics are the most likely to survive

Natural Selection
as a Mechanism for Evolution
Overproduction
Each species produces more offspring than will survive to maturity

Variation
There is variation among offspring

Competition
Organisms compete with one another for limited resources

Lycaon pictus

Canis latrans

Vulpes spp.

Canis lupus

Canis spp.

Survival to reproduce
Individuals that possess the most favorable combination of characteristics are the most likely to survive

The differential success in reproduction resulting from the organisms interaction with their environment

Natural vs. Artificial Selection

Variants of domestic dogs (Canis lupus familaris)

Operates in similar manners Natural selection occurs over much longer periods of time, w/o any goal or purpose
Lycaon pictus Canis latrans Vulpes spp. Canis lupus Canis spp.

Natural Selection in Populations

Natural selection involves interactions between individual organisms and their environment, but individuals do NOT evolve A population is the smallest unit that can evolve

Click the pic to view a simulation of natural selection in a population of fictitious blue organisms.

Evolution
Lamarckian vs. Darwinian

Desire to change, use and disuse, inheritance of acquired traits

Overproduction, variation, competition, survival to reproduce

Evolution
Lamarckian vs. Darwinian

Desire to change, use and disuse, inheritance of acquired traits

Overproduction, variation, competition, survival to reproduce

Click to learn more about

Darwins Bright Idea

Understanding Evolution

PBS.org Evolution

AboutDarwin.com

Nature Darwin 200

DarwinLive.com

NY Times Charles Darwin

NY Times Evolution

LiveScience.com - Evolution

References
Main reference Miller, K.R. and Levine, J. (1995). Biology. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Other references
Campbell, N.A. and Reece, J.B. (2004). Biology (7th ed.). Menlo Park, California: Benjamin Cummings. Miller, K.R. and Levine, J. (2002). Biology. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Solomon, E.P., Berg, L.R., Martin, D.W., and Villee, C. (1993). Biology (3rd ed.). Fort Worth: Saunders College Publishing.

Image Sources
Slide 2 Shrewsbury: http://www.voa.gov.uk/where/images/shrewesbury.gif Charles: http://www.darwinday.org/learn/darwin.html Erasmus: http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2004/wallis/a%20fool%20you%20know.htm Slide 3 Interactive voyage of the Beagle: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/science-ofnatural-history/expeditions-collecting/beagle-voyage/ Slide 4 Galapagos: http://www.galapagoskreuzfahrten.com/photo/news/200709_05.gif Slide 5, 6, 7 Finches: http://campus.digication.com/darwin/finches Slide 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 21 Darwin: http://www.arps.org/USERS/ms/KepplerC/Charles-Darwin-31.jpg

Image Sources
Slide 6 Gould: http://www.nla.gov.au/collect/treasures/images/gouldport.jpg Slide 8 Feral pig: http://simplebrowser.blogspot.com/2007/10/feral-pigs-biggest-problem-inaustralia.html Kangaroo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Grey_Kangaroo Dingo: http://kritterkorner.wordpress.com/2008/07/15/dingo-wild-dog-of-australia/ Rabbit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oryctolagus_cuniculus_Tasmania.jpg Slide 9 Pampas cat - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pampas_Cat Pampas deer http://lh5.ggpht.com/_rotqvPRmbtU/SQEarZPe2AI/AAAAAAAAH5Q/RgBebPPBLqE/DSC_ 5229.JPG Pampas finch http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DPCSd1DIHig/SJRQ2g2N0wI/AAAAAAAAAgY/7fz3Khq1Fks/s4 00/GreatPampafinch.jpg Greater Rhea - http://tolweb.org/tree/ToLimages/451883177_c9b2ddfbb6_o.jpg

Image Sources
Slide 11 Pitcher plant http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/08/18/meat.eating.plant/index.html Tarsier - http://scienceguy288.wordpress.com/2009/07/29/wildlife-wednesday-tarsier/ Philippine flying lemur - http://dailymammal.blogspot.com/2008/05/philippine-flyinglemur-colugo.html Slide 13, 15 Wallace: http://stewartsstruggles.blogspot.com/2008/08/wallace.html Slide 14, 16, 19 Yahoo Emoticons: http://messenger.yahoo.com/features/emoticons/ Slide 17 Origin: http://spencer.lib.ku.edu/exhibits/darwin/originb.jpg

Image Sources
Slide 19 Huxley: http://www2.scc-fl.edu/asalmon/chronology_complete_version.htm Hooker: http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/~alroy/lefa/Hooker.html Owen: http://evolvingwithdarwin.blogspot.com/2008/07/sir-richard-owen.html Slide 20 Herbert Spencer: http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Biology-v-1/dp/0898757940

Slide 21, 22 Malthus: http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/edu/dees/courses/v1001/evol.html

Slide 22 Woodstock: http://sparkncinder.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/woodstock-1969/ Crops: http://marincountyfreelibrary.blogspot.com/2004_06_01_marincountyfreelibrary_archi ve.html#108785724111160085 Slide 21, 23, 31 Concepts and Connections by Campbell and Reece

Image Sources
Slide 21, 24 Lyell: http://historiadaciencia.blogspot.com/2009/03/o-impacto-do-manuscrito-dewallace-de.html Slide 24 Principles: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/02/4/image_pop/l_024_01.html Slides 25 to 29 Puppies nursing: http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/finnegan.asp Slide 30, 31 Concepts and Connections by Campbell and Reece

Slide 32 Natural Selection Simulation: http://www.biologyinmotion.com/evol/index.html

Image Sources
Slides 33 to 36 Lamarck: http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/~alroy/lefa/Lamarck.html Darwin: http://faculty.frostburg.edu/mbradley/psyography/darwin.jpg Slides 33 Giraffe: http://www.betterphoto.com/uploads/processed/0026/0601291522231ms588.jpg

Slide 34 Giraffe: http://illustrationboard.blogspot.com/2009/06/evolution-wiped-out-shortstumpy.html

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