Darwin's Theory of

Evolution

Unlocking Darwin’s Mysterious Idea

 Darwin’s Voyage of Discovery

Darwin’s Epic Journey

He was born on February 12th 1809

Darwin developed the biological theory of

evolution that explains how modern
organisms evolved over long periods of
time through descent from common
ancestors
In 1831, he began a 5 year voyage on the
HMS Beagle that would change his life.
Observations Aboard the Beagle
Species Vary Globally
Different, but similar,
animals inhabited
separate, but similar,
habitats
That some similar
environments have very
different animals.
(Kangaroos in Australia
but not England)
 Species Vary Locally

Different, yet related, animals

occupied different habitats within a
local area

Exs. – Tortoises and Birds in the

Galapagos Islands varied from island
to island
Species Vary Over Time
Some fossils of extinct animals
were similar to living species

Ex. – Extinct giant armored

Glyptodont is similar to and lived
in the same area as the Armadillo
Giant Ground Sloth

Modern Sloth
 Putting the Pieces of the
Puzzle Together
Darwin thought about the patterns he’d seen
on his voyage

He realized that there were many similarities

between the animals he’d seen

There was evidence that suggested that

species were not fixed and that they could
change by some natural process
 Lamarck’s Evolutionary
Hypotheses

Proposed that the use or disuse of organs

caused organisms to gain or lose traits over
time.
These new characteristics could be passed
on to the next generation.
Ex. - A water bird’s long legs happen
because the animal kept wading in deeper
water to get food.
Evaluating Lamarck’s Hypotheses

Lamarck’s hypotheses were incorrect in

many ways

We know that traits acquired during a

lifetime cannot be passed on to off spring
Evaluating Lamarck’s Hypotheses

However, Lamarck was one of the first to:

– Suggest that species are not fixed
– Explain that evolution uses natural processes
– Recognize that there is a link between an
organism’s environment and its body structures

Lamarck’s work paved the way for later

biologists, including Darwin