Charles Darwin and his Finches Turn in your take home quiz to the box. Remember: if its not here...
-
Upload
jesse-snow -
Category
Documents
-
view
213 -
download
0
Transcript of Charles Darwin and his Finches Turn in your take home quiz to the box. Remember: if its not here...
Charles Darwin and his FinchesTurn in your take home quiz to the box. Remember: if its not here today, its half credit only!
Who was Charles Darwin? Charles Darwin was a naturalist. A
naturalist is someone who studies plants and animals (nature)
Darwin served as a naturalist on the HMS Beagle
He went all over the world, but most famously, Charles Darwin went to the Galapagos Islands.
The Galapagos Islands The Galapagos
Islands are found west of S. America
They are an archipelago (a series of many islands)
The Galapagos Islands http
://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/places/parks-and-nature-places/coasts-and-islands/ecuador_galapagos/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/explore-galapagos.html
Darwin was very observant. He was intrigued by organisms he encountered.
Two organisms that particularly interested him were the finches and tortoises.
The Galapagos Islands Darwin observed that the finches and
tortoises were slightly different on each island.
The finches each had slightly different beaks and the tortoises had slightly different necks
The Galapagos Islands Darwin saw that the tortoises were all
very similar, but their necks were different lengths. Each type of tortoise was adapted specifically for its environment.
Darwin concluded that since these tortoises looked so much alike that they were related.
The Galapagos Islands Darwin concluded that the tortoises all
descended from one tortoise
Over time the tortoises changed and adapted to their specific environment
He concluded similar things about the finches
Charles Darwin Charles Darwin looked at all the
evidence he saw and came up with the theory of evolution.
Charles Darwin is credited with the theory of evolution.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/educators/teachstuds/svideos.html
OMG?! Evolution!? Evolution is a highly sensitive topic for some people
However, the scientific community recognized the theory of evolution as valid and well-supported
In life science, we will learn about evolution because it is scientifically accepted
“Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge, which is power; religion gives man wisdom, which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals.” –Martin Luther King Jr.
Evolution Conflict Some people feel conflicted between
their religious beliefs and the conclusions of science
Many religious people have been able to reconcile the two and accept both
Ultimately, it is a personal journey you must take on your own
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/religion/index.html
Evolution: Not “Just A Theory” http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/educators/
teachstuds/svideos.html
What is the difference between a theory and a law?
How much support do scientific theories have?
If someone says something is “just a theory” how would you respond?
Theory vs. Law In science, a theory is a well-supported
explanation for why something in nature occurs
A law is a well-supported explanation of what occurs
Example: the theory of evolution explains why we see the diversity we do today and where organisms came from. Newton’s laws of motion explains that for every force there is an equal but opposite force. It doesn’t explain why.
More on Evolution Organisms change over time
All organisms have natural variations
Variations have come from random mutations
Natural selection “chooses” the best variations
More on Evolution Natural selection allows evolution
to occur
Evolution eventually produces new species
So… mutation variations natural selection evolution new species!
Evolution http://
media.hhmi.org/fittest/birth_death_genes.html
What makes ice fish unique? How are they able to survive?
More on Evolution Thus, everything is related to one
another
All organisms came from one common ancestor
California Salamanders http://
www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/evolution-action-salamanders.html
What are the two strategies used by the salamanders to adapt to their environment?
What is the problem with the hybrid?
Tree of Life http://tolweb.org/tree/phylogeny.html
http://www.open.edu/openlearn/nature-environment/natural-history/tree-life
http://www.wellcometreeoflife.org/interactive/
Evidence for Evolution The fossil record shows us
organisms have changed over time
Though our fossil record is incomplete, it shows us many examples of organisms changing over time
Why is our fossil record incomplete?
Vestigial Structures Vestigial structures are body parts
that have lost their original purpose through evolution
They provide support for evolution
Embryology Embryology is the study of developing
embryos (fertilization to birth). It provides support for evolution.
All vertebrates (animals with backbones) have pouches called pharyngeal pouches during development
Other similarities exist too
Embryology http://
www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/guess-embryo.html
Can you easily tell vertebrates apart as embryos?
How do these embryos support evolution?
Molecular Biology Molecular biology is the study of
genes and their function. It provides support for evolution.
Scientists can look at how much DNA particular organisms have in common to determine relatedness.
Molecular Biology Human DNA only varies about 0.1%
from individual to individual
Human DNA is only 1.2% different from chimpanzee DNA (This means we share 98.8% of our DNA!)
Humans share about 98.4% of our DNA with gorillas
Evolution game http://
science.discovery.com/games-and-interactives/charles-darwin-game.htm