Darwin's Secret Notebook Video

Why did Darwin jump off of the HMS Beagle as much as possible?

Because Darwin was seasick

What made Darwin wait for more than 20 years to publish his work?

Because his argument and evidence are unacceptable to make, and people who have made arguments similar to his were ridiculed

Why do the islands have palm trees but no frogs?

Because the frog's ancestors cannot cross the ocean, but palm trees could be transported across the ocean.

How were the islands colonized?

By plants and creatures from distant continents

What were two errors Darwin made with the finches?

1. He doesn't record where he found them 2. He lumps them together

Darwin observed 3 birds that did not fly, but used their wings for other functions. Name the birds and for each, what are the functions of the wings? Is this an example of an exaptation? Explain.

1. Penguin - fins 2. Steamer - paddles 3. Ostrich - sails Yes, because the wings suggest that they may have changed.

When did Darwin publish "On the Origin of Species"?

1859

How old was Darwin when he returned to England?

27 years

How old was Darwin when he figured out natural selection?

29 years

How many years into the expedition did the HMS Beagle reach the Galapagos?

4 years

How long did Darwin spend in the Galapagos islands?

5 weeks

What was Malthus' idea that provided inspiration to Darwin?

Human populations grow until they run out of food, and there is a race to be the strongest because the strongest will survive, while the less-strong will not; *a struggle for existence, competition for resources*

How are the common rhea and the lesser rhea isolated?

In the north of Patagonia there are the big/common rhea and in the south are the smaller/lesser rheas

When did the ship leave England?

Just after Christmas Day in 1831

What did Darwin study on the way home from the Galapagos?

Mockingbirds that he collected in the Galapagos

Did Darwin always believe that the origin of life had a scientific explanation?

No

Did Darwin's conclusions make him less of a believer?

No

How does the variety of life on land in the Galapagos compare to what is in the sea?

On the Galapagos there are few types of trees, land is sparse and wildlife is sparse, but the sea is teeming with creatures and wildlife.

Whose book did Darwin turn to for answers about geological processes?

Principles of Biology by Charles Lyell

What happens to favorable variations? What happens to unfavorable variations?

The favorable are preserved, unfavorable are destroyed

How do mockingbirds differ from each other?

The mockingbirds have different beaks, some are long and curved, while others are short and straight.

What conclusion did Darwin make based on the discovery of sea shells high atop the mountains?

The rocks are filled with seashells, so Darwin discovers the rock layers are filled with fossils stacked on top of each other and it goes on for miles.

One major observation Darwin made was that different islands have ____species

Their own species of creatures

Describe the size of the fossil mammals that Darwin found compared to the ones that live today.

They were gigantic

True/False At this time, Darwin no longer believed that species were the unchanging product of a creator.

True

What did Darwin sketch in his secret notebooks?

A family tree where each branch is a different species

What is a coral atoll?

A ring-shaped coral loop that surrounds a lagoon

What is natural selection?

Any trait gives an organism a small chance of survival and advantage will be passed down, and over time the trait will become stronger and more common, causing the species to change; a difference in a trait can determine how successful an organism is

The Glyptodont looks like an enormous____.

Armadillo

How old was Darwin when he boarded the HMS Beagle?

He was 22

True/False Darwin left England planning to study evolution in the Galapagos?

False