Evolutionary Theory

Populations Evolve; Individuals Adapt

Lamarck
 Believed organisms evolve
 Mechanism was incorrect
 Use and disuse
 Inheritance of acquired characteristics
 EX. Giraffes’ necks
Lyell
 Geologist
 Wrote Principles of Geology
 Said the earth was millions of years old, not
thousands
 Gave Darwin the time needed for change to
occur
Malthus
 Economist
 Wrote a paper warning of the dangers of
overpopulation (humans) 1798
 Darwin deduced that producing more
offspring than the environment can support
leads to struggles for survival
Wallace
 British naturalist; worked in Indonesia
 Conceived a theory almost identical to
Darwin’s
 Asked Darwin to read his manuscripts and
give an evaluation of his ideas
Darwin
 Attended Cambridge University; degree in
theology
 Was the naturalist on board the HMS Beagle
 Made numerous observations while on the
Galapagos Islands and mainland S. America;
variation of species—tortoises and finches.
 Wrote On the Origin of Species by Means of
Natural Selection in 1859.
Darwin
 Formulated a theory of evolution based on natural
selection.
 Key ideas included:
 Species are capable of producing more offspring than the
environment can support.
 Members of a population vary in their traits.
 Individuals with traits that enable them to survive and
reproduce leave more offspring than other individuals.
(Differential reproduction.)
 Favorable traits tend to accumulate in a population over
generations.
Evidence for Evolution
 Fossil record
 Biogeography: island organisms evolved from
mainland species
 Comparative anatomy:
 Homologous structures: same structure, different function.
Ex. forelimbs of vertebrates
 Vestigial organs: remnants of once useful organs that now
serve no purpose
Ex. Small hind-leg and foot bones of modern whales; human
appendix; pelvic bones on pythons
Homologous structures
Vestigial Structure
 whale
Vestigial Structure
 African rock python “leg”
Evidence for Evolution (continued)
 Comparative embryology: comparing early
stages of development reveals homologies not
visible in the adults
Evidence for Evolution (continued)
 Molecular Biology: comparing DNA
sequences and proteins; the more similar, the
more recent the common ancestor
Evolutionary Trees
 Homologies indicate patterns of descent