2.3 Darwin's Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection
Completion requirements
Unit B
Module 4 ~ Lesson 2
Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection
Darwin spent years studying life in the Galapagos Islands. His observations and questions led him to reject Lamarck's theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics for the idea of descent with modification. Darwin suggested that current species descended from ancestral species with some modification. Darwin suggested that the mechanism for this change was natural selection, sometimes referred to as survival of the fittest.By observing 13 species of finches on the Galapagos islands, Darwin proposed that when two populations of the same species of finch became geographically isolated, they adapted to their separate food sources. Over time, the populations became so distinct, they were different species. The theory of evolution by natural selection does not suggest that individuals evolve, rather the predominant traits in a population change over time.
John Gould (14.Sep.1804 - 3.Feb.1881) / Public domain
Read
Read "Darwin and Wallace and the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection" on page 126 of your textbook.