PSYC-115 FA5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Erasmus Darwin, Extensive Reading, Natural Selection
13 Jun 2018
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March 23, 2018
Lecture 16: Darwin and the Origin of Species
**slide 15-important
●Evolution of life by natural selection
○Darwin (had a context provided by previous scientists)
○Born in 1809 (when Lamarck’s book came out)
○Education
■University of Edinburgh medical school (1826)
■Christ’s college cambridge (1831)
○Influence of Sedgewick (his uncle) (1831)
○Evolution of evolution (1831-1859)
●Voyage of the Beagle (1831-1836)
○Lasted 5 years; documented life on the planet via boat
○His job was a companion for Captain Robert FitzRoy
○Firmly believed in the fixity of species, although family not orthodox in religious
beliefs (remember Erasmus Darwin)
○Extensive reading and exploration (esp among islands)collected plant and animal
varieties
○Shipped dead animals back to England so he could study them when he got back
●Focus on “evolution” (1837)
○Change
(1837)- although initially believing in the fixity of species, a variety of
observations led to a shift
■Historical succession- if you look at things in time, you see gradual
change
●Evolution (gradual change)
●Splitting (speciation)
●Transitions (missing links)
■Geographical succession
●Geographical similarities
●Continental parallels
■Island types
●Continental islands (derived from a continent) (British Isles, Japan,
Long Island); animals on the islands looked very similar to the
animals on the mainland; missing land mammals, reptiles,
amphibians and freshwater fish
●Oceanic islands (Galapagos islands,Iceland, New Zealand)
■All issues suggested that change had occurred
●Focus on “natural selection” (1838)
Document Summary
Lecture 16: darwin and the origin of species. Darwin (had a context provided by previous scientists) Born in 1809 (when lamarck"s book came out) Lasted 5 years; documented life on the planet via boat. His job was a companion for captain robert fitzroy. Firmly believed in the fixity of species, although family not orthodox in religious beliefs (remember erasmus darwin) Extensive reading and exploration (esp among islands)collected plant and animal varieties. Shipped dead animals back to england so he could study them when he got back. Change (1837)- although initially believing in the fixity of species, a variety of observations led to a shift. Historical succession- if you look at things in time, you see gradual change. Continental islands (derived from a continent) (british isles, japan, Long island); animals on the islands looked very similar to the animals on the mainland; missing land mammals, reptiles, amphibians and freshwater fish. All issues suggested that change had occurred.
