Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

Galápagos Islands

Who was Charles Darwin?

- Charles Darwin was a naturalist and the founder of modern evolutionary science.

- He went on a 5-year voyage on "The Beagle" and discovered a wide variety of species on the Galápagos Islands.

Charles Darwin went on a voyage aboard The Beagle from December 1831 to 2 October 1836. He had hypothesized that the Galápagos Islands had been colonized by plants and animals from the mainland and had diversified afterward on the different islands.

Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection

- Organisms must produce more offspring than can survive.

- The variations found in the population must be heritable.

- Individuals must vary in fitness ("Survival of the fittest")

Three requirements for Natural Selection to occur: