Darwin's influences and Principles of Evolution

What are Darwin's five principles of evolution?

1) there is variation in a populations traits 2) not every individual in a population will live long enough to reproduce 3) desirable traits (those that are successful) are passed to surviving offspring 4) the more successful a trait is in the environment, the more common it becomes in the environment 5) species will respond to changes in their environment through adaptations based on the traits that are already present in the population

What is evolution?

A process by which species change over time as a result of changes in inherited physical or behavioral traits

What is an adaptation?

Any alteration in the structure or function of an organism or any of its parts that results from natural selection and by which the organism becomes better fitted to survive and multiply in its environment (modified to fit into their environment).

How did Lyell and Hutton contribute to Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection?

Both Lyell and Hutton were influential geologist of Darwin's time. They proposed that the Earth was formed very slowly, and that the processes that formed the Earth were the same, and continued to take place.

What is common descent?

Common descent refers to the idea that organisms share a common ancestor, and common ancestry between organisms of different species comes about during speciation.

How would you describe Lamarck's theory of acquired characteristics?

Lamarck believed that species can pass on characteristics that they acquired during a lifetime to their offspring. An acquired characteristic is a change made based on what the organism wanted or needed.

What was Lamarck's views on use and disuse of an organism's structures?

Lamarck believed that the organism's behavior determined the a lot about the use of a structure. if a particular structure was used more it would increase in size over the generations. However, it a particular structure was not used it would shrink over the generations.

Why is Lamarck's theory of acquired characteristics incorrect?

Lamarck did not take into account the passing of traits through genes.

How could you describe natural selection?

Natural selection acts to preserve and accumulate (increase) the genetic advantages that enable a species to compete better in the wild. The process is slow and gradual.

What does "the struggle for existence" refer to?

Organisms will continuously struggle for the needed resources in order to survive and produce offspring. This includes food, shelter, water, and mates. Whoever has the upper hand will win.

What does "survival of the fittest" refer to?

Simply means that the individual who has the combination of traits that allows that individual to survive and produce offspring which in turn will survive and reproduce. Success depends on the environment at any particular time and the combination of traits that are most suited to flourishing in that particular environment.

What is descent with modification?

Simply suggests that traits are passed down from generation to generation with traits that have been modified.

What did Malthus propose would happen to the human population?

The human population would grow faster than the food and supplies could support it.

What are the checks and balances Malthus proposed to prevent the population to using up the needed supplies?

war, famine, disease, death, birth