Notes outline for The Theory of Evolution

I. Background

1. What is a theory and how is it different than a law?

2. Why is evolution just a theory?

3. What were the major theories that explain life’s diversity?

a. Philosophy (Aristotle or Plato, 350B.C.) =

b. Religion =

c. Spontaneous Generation =

d. Advances in the fields of Paleontology (study of fossils) and Geology (study of the Earth) led to various competing theories that explains life’s diversity, the origins of species, and how species change over time:

i. Creationism (a.k.a. intelligent design) (Linnaeus, 1700s, officially termed in 1850s) =

a. Linnaeus is credited for creating what branch of biology? What is it?

ii. Paleontology & the fossil record:

iii. Catastrophism (Cuvier, 1700s) =

iv. Uniformitarianism (Hutton & Lyell, 1880s) =

v. *Gradualism (Lamarck, late 1700s, early 1800s) =

vi. Evolution by Natural Selection (Charles Darwin 1850s) =

Look at the diagrams to the right. Notice the different neck lengths in the 2nd stage of Darwin’s model.

II. Charles Darwin: Naturalist & Theologist.

1. Sailed on the ship named ____________ as a naturalist in the early 1800s.

2. Observed species diversity and unity in the ________________ ________________ off the coast of South America.

3. Most famous species:________________

4. Explained that the finches in the Galapagos were a result of ___________________ with ___________________. This means that the Galapagos finches are _______________ of some ancient original South American finch species.

5. Observed that each species of finch had ___________________ that improved their ability to survive.

a. Define adaptation:

6. The finches ________________ to different diets based upon ________________ __________ that enabled them to avoid ___________________.

7. The MECHANISM that caused the modification is ________________ ________________.

8. Read the given statement and summarize what Darwin’s Theory predicts:

9. Darwin’s observations are summarized as the TENETS OF EVOLUTION:

a. Variation =

b. Heredity =

c. Overproduction =

d. Differential (Natural) Selection =

i. What does the “selecting”?

10. Adaptation versus Acclimation

a. Adaptations are the ___________________ ______________________ that enhance survival.

b. Acclimation is the _________________ __________________ that allows an organism to cope with changing conditions.

11. Artificial Selection, called _________________, is humans selecting the more desirable trait in a separate species.