Evolution = changes over time

Theory = well-supported, testable explanation

Family of doctors. Darwin disliked medicine.

Went to theological school to be a minister.

Hired as companion to the captain of the Beagle.

5 year trip. Darwin worked as a naturalist.

Why are there no rabbits in Australia and no kangaroos in England?

Observed dinosaur bones – why did they disappear?

Had similar animals on different Galapagos Islands once been members of the same species?

1. Diversity – • very different animals and

plants

• many more species than he ever thought

• wide variety of ways to reproduce

2. Fossils – • Resemble organisms

alive today

• Why did they disappear?

3. Galapagos – • Different climates =

different types of animals

Pinta IslandHood Island

Isabella Island

Why is evolution so important to study?

• Predicts strains of flu for vaccine

• Predicts AIDS & West Nile outbreaks

• Human genome studies (Y chrom. disappearance)

• Bacterial resistance to antibiotics and “super bugs”

• Keep up with insecticides/herbicides for controlling pests and weeds (malaria)

• Climate change threatens the existence of many species

Assignment:

Choose 1 organism and explain in detail how its characteristics and behavior help it survive in its particular environment.