Post on 29-Dec-2015
• Meraki: (n.) the soul, creativity, or love put into something; the essence of yourself that is put into your work.
THE BEAGLE
• Dec. 1831• 5 year trip around the world• 22 year old Charles Darwin was the ships
naturalist
DARWIN’S OBSERVATIONS
• Diversity of living things• Remains of ancient organisms• Characteristics of organisms on the Galápagos
Islands
DIVERSITY
• Darwin saw diversity in insects and plants throughout south America discovering many new species• Species: group of similar organisms that can mate
and produce fertile offspring
FOSSILS
• Darwin studied fossils of past organisms that resembled current organisms• Sloth fossils that resembled living sloths, only
much larger
COMPARED TO THE MAINLAND
• Organisms where very similar, however they did have distinct differences• Eg: iguanas on the islands had larger hands for
holding on to rocks to eat seaweed where as mainland had small hands to climb trees and eat leaves
DARWIN’S THOUGHTS
• A small number of plant and animal species had come to the Galápagos Islands from the mainland• Once on the Islands they reproduced and the
offspring became different from the mainland
ADAPTATIONS
• Adaptations are traits that help an organism survive and reproduces• The finches beak structure helps to obtain food
EVOLUTION
• After Darwin’s return he spent the next 20 years thinking about his observations and talking to other scientists• Darwin reasoned that plants or animals that
arrived on the Galapagos Islands faced conditions that were different from those on the mainland. • Darwin Hypothesized the species gradually
changed over many generations and became better adapted to the new conditions
EVOLUTION (CONT.)
• The gradual change in a species over time is called evolution• This happens to a species, and slowly over years and
years
• Darwin did not know how the changes had happened• Today this is a scientific theory, meaning it is a
well tested concept that explains a wide range of observations
SELECTIVE BREADING
• Farmers saw similar changes with there selective breading in animals• If you want fine wool, only bread sheep with fine
wool. Over time you will only have sheep with fine wool.• However what chooses this trait in nature?
NATURAL SELECTION
• In 1858 Darwin proposed that the mechanism for choosing traits naturally is called Natural Selection• Natural Selection: the process by which
individuals that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce than others of the same species• This theory was outlined in Darwin's Book The
Origin of Species
FACTORS OF NATURAL SELECTION
• Darwin proposed that there are many factors that control natural selection• Overpopulation• Competition• Variations
OVERPOPULATION
• Darwin knew that many species produce far more offspring than can possibly survive, like insects• Not enough food, water, space, etc. for all of
them to live• So why is the world not overrun by ants?