Evolution by Natural

Selection
Darwin’s Legacy
 Charles Robert Darwin
(1809-1882)
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Darwin
 Alfred Russel Wallace
(1823 – 1913)
• British naturalist, explorer,
geographer, anthropologist &
biologist

• Independently conceived the

theory of evolution by natural
selection

• Jointly published with some of

Darwin's writings in 1858
Wallacea
Separates the ecozones
of Asia & Wallacea -
transitional zone
between Asia &
Australia.

W of the line - organisms

related to Asiatic species;

E is a mixture of species
of Asian & Australian
origin
 Darwin’s World Travels

• 1831 (aged 22)

Darwin joined a
survey expedition
on HMS Beagle as
the ship’s scientist
The voyage took five-years & went around
the globe
An Archipelago of
Volcanic Islands
 Galapagos Islands
• Darwin spent 5 weeks in the Galapagos in 1835.

• The animals & plants

he saw there had a
profound effect upon
him.

‘ The natural history of this archipelago is very

remarkable, it seems to be a little world within
itself’
A Myriad of Unique Species
 Galapagos Islands
Giant tortoise
• 15 species reduced to 10 -
native to 7 islands.

• Larger than the mainland

species. Lack of comp. from
species not present on the
island

Iguana lizards
• Abundant & larger than the
related mainland species
 Aquatic Iguana
(Amblyrhynchus cristatus)

• Eats marine
algae.

• Has adaptations
for locomotion in
water.

• Flattened tail &

webs of skin
between toes
 Two forms of Lizard: Terrestrial & Aquatic Marine
Iguana

Marine & terrestrial

forms diverged around
‘I’m tired of competing for bits of
10.5 million years ago prickly old cactus I wonder what
there is under water?’
 Land Iguanas - 3 Species
Conolophus pallidus C. marthae
Pink iguana
Discovered in
1986 on Santa Fe

C. subcristatus - yellow Iguana

 On his return Darwin spent many years
thinking about what he had seen:
Why were there so many different types of plants &
animals?

Why were there similar – but not identical plants &

animals in different places?

Why had some animals gone extinct?

• Darwin started to develop his theory of evolution by
natural selection within 2 years of his return to England
in 1836.

• In 1859, more than 20 years

after the voyage, he published
his ideas.
 Conclusions..........
 All animals & plants changed by
chance
 Some individuals were better
adapted for their environment
than others – they survived better

 They passed their characteristics

onto their offspring

 Over a long time & many changes

new species were formed as the
‘fittest’ individuals passed on
these selected traits
(characteristics)
 Evolution by Natural
Selection

“I have called this principle, by

which each slight variation, if
useful, is preserved, by the term
natural selection”
 Principles of NS
• Natural selection: acts on an organism’s phenotype
(physical characteristics)

• Phenotype: determined by an organism’s genetic

make-up (genotype) & the environment in which the
organism lives

• Individuals that are best adapted to their

environment more likely to survive & reproduce.
 Genes, Mutations & Natural Selection

• Genes: determine what plants & animals look like – they

are made of DNA
• Cells Divide & DNA is copied: each cell has all its genes
• Randomly (by chance) mistakes occur = Mutations
(changed genes)
• Mutations: (mostly) do not result in any change in the
body a few do

Natural selection is possible because of

mutations & because the environment
changes
 Where Does speciation occur?
Where there is a barrier to dispersal

•Mountain Range, Gorge,

Patches of habitat & Lakes

‘habitat islands’
 Allopatric Speciation
(different country)
• Occurs most often on Oceanic islands & island
Archipelagos

• Species that colonise islands change & adapt to the

new environment
• Species often expand their range – occupy more
habitats – fill empty niches

• May lose dispersal abilities

– many flightless birds are insular
species e.g. Dodo

• Why do they change (evolve) & adapt to the new

conditions?

• Lack of competition (from similar species) & few or no

mammalian predators
Galapagos Island/Darwin’s Finches

• 14 species of finch – found only on the Galapagos

(they are endemic)

• Special adaptations to various habitats were

important evidence supporting Darwin’s theory of
evolution by natural selection

• They are an example of Adaptive Radiation

(speciation on a grand scale)
 Adaptive Radiation
Darwin’s finches

• One species of finch on

the mainland (Ecuador)
beak Adapted to crushing
seeds

• 14 species finch on the

Galapagos islands represents
40% of all bird species

• 6 beak types – adapted for

different methods of
feeding
 Adaptive Radiation: how does it
happen?
• A flock of finches arrived from the mainland of
Ecuador approx. 2-3 million years ago

• At first there is little competition (for food etc.)

because there are few similar species –
• numbers increase

• Competition for space, nest sites, food & mates

amongst individuals of the same species =
• intra-specific competition
Allopatric Speciation – Darwin’s finches
 Evolution of
Darwin’s Finches

• Isolation
• Empty niches & a lack of
predators & competitors
leads to ……..

Allopatric Speciation &

Adaptive Radiation
 Honey Creepers of Hawaii
Founders arrived (Rose finch ancestor)
3.5 to 8m years ago - rapid Adaptive
Radiation followed

Estimates of recent species 29-33 with

another 14 known as sub-fossils

Most extinction followed the arrival

of the Polynesians - about 300AD & 1st
European contact in 1778
Hawaiian Archipelago
 Adaptive Radiation
NS produced species with
beaks adapted to feed
in a variety of ways
Charles Darwin
 Summary
• All organisms can change by chance – not fixed in time and
space

• NS acts on the PHENOTYPE

• PHENOTYPE - GENOTYPE & the ENVIRONMENT

• NS possible because of MUTATIONS & because the

ENVIRONMENT CHANGES

• Individuals that are BEST ADAPTED to their environment more

likely to survive & reproduce = the ‘FITTEST’