BIOL 2P05 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Selective Breeding, Comparative Anatomy, Molecular Genetics
6 Feb 2018
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Collected information on animals, geology, and coral reefs. 23 years after his return, he published on the origin of species . Observed substantial variation in the beak morphologies of the finches, depending on their diet. Isolation on the islands lead to speciation - different species that were originally in ecuador. Fundamental insights: the environment selects on variations in the traits of individuals. Because some variants are more successful at increasing the likelihood of survival and reproduction. Those with successful adaptations have more children due to increased fitness, so subsequent generations would show more individuals with those adaptations. Why organisms are suited to their environment: a common ancestry of all living things. All species have descended from one or a few common ancestors. Species that share a recent common ancestor tend to resemble each other. New species to not arise through spontaneous generation, there must be pre-existing life. Most people were familiar with pigeon breeding at the time.
