Dareins Theroy Of Natural Selection Flashcards
What voyage did Darwin undertake to study natural selection?
Darwin travelled on the HMS Beagle from 1831 to 1836
What species did Darwin study on the Galapagos islands?
Darwin studied the finches
How did finches on the Galapagos differ from mainland finches?
They were very different in various traits
Why did the finch population increase on the Galapagos islands?
There were very few predators
What problem did the finches face as their population increased?
There was not enough food for all of the finches
What did finches have to do to survive on the islands?
They must alter their diet
What characteristics of the finches changed over time?
The size and shape of the beak
In what year did Darwin publish his account of the ‘Theory of Natural Selection’?
1858
What is the title of Darwin’s 1859 book?
‘On the Origin of Species’
List the key points of Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection
- Individuals within a species vary in many ways
- Some of this variability can be inherited
- Every generation produces far more offspring than can survive and pass on their variations
- Populations of species tend to remain stable in size
What is one inference drawn from the Theory of Natural Selection?
Members of the same species compete with each other for survival
What does ‘survival of the fittest’ imply in Darwin’s theory?
Individuals with more favourable variations are more likely to survive and pass them on
What happens to favourable variations over generations according to natural selection?
They will become more common
What is the documented case of evolution mentioned in the text?
Evolution of the Peppered Moth
What was the predominant color of the peppered moth before 1849?
Light in color
