Chapter Charles Darwin: the man, the myth, the legend

“Nothing in biology makes sense EXCEPT in the light of evolution.” Theodosius Dobzhansky Charles Darwin in later years

Who was Charles Darwin? Born Feb. 12, 1809 to an affluent family Joined Crew of HMS Beagle in 1831 after dropping out of medical school Naturalist 5 Year voyage around world Avid collector of flora & fauna Astounded by variety of life

Darwin’s Voyage of Discovery A reconstruction of the HMS Beagle sailing off Patagonia

Darwin left England in 1831 Darwin returned 5 years later in 1836

HMS Beagle’s Voyage

The Galapagos Islands Small group of volcanic islands 1000 km off the coast of South America Very different climates Animals on islands were very unique

The Galapagos Islands Island species varied from mainland species & from island-to-island species Unique animals on the islands included: Tortoises Iguanas Finches

The Galapagos Islands Finches on the islands resembled a mainland finch More types of finches appeared on the islands where the available food was different (seeds, nuts, berries, insects…) Finches had different types of beaks adapted to their type of food gathering