Evolution: Charles Darwin

Darwin made 4 observations
1. Living organisms produce far more offspring than can possible survive to adulthood
  1. The offspring have variations in their characteristics that are different to the parents
    1. Some variations will lead to greater survival advantages than others
      1. Those individuals with the better variations will generally tend to survive & produce more successful offspring
Deductions from his observations
1. There is competition for survival
  1. Individuals with chareristics that best adapt them for their environment are most lily to survive and reproduce
    1. If these characteristics can be inherited then the organism will pass the characteristics on to their offspring
      1. Gradually the species would become increasingly better adapted to its environment
Natural Selection
1. The sorting of "good" from "not good" individuals by their environment is what DArwin termed natural selection
2. Individuals show variation in their characteristics due to difference in their alleles
3. There is constant struggle for survival due to disease, competition and predators
4. Individuals with better adaptions will pass on the alleles that pass on the adaptations
Reactions to Darwin's Theory
1. Face high controversy when first release and was the centre of international debate
2. There was opposition because it conflicted with religious beliefs of how life began
3. Was accepted over time as there was more evidence to support his theory and very little to disprove it
4. More scientists proved Darwin to be right thus more accepted his theory as a scientific explanation.

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Evolution: Charles Darwin

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	Created by amy.hamilton about 9 years ago