Perry Jiang 3B

AP BIOLOGY BOOK PROJECT

The Origin of Species
By Charles Darwin

SUMMARY

In the book The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, 19
th
century English naturalist Charles
Darwin explains how his Theory of Evolution describes how variation within organisms leads to
selective advantages and, ultimately, through evolution, the origin of new species, hence the
books title. Darwin outlines how natural selection, or how individuals will demonstrate variation
in behavior or physiology, leads to certain individuals being better fit to survive and reproduce.
This phenomenon of successive generations being equipt with better traits to survive is known as
descent with modification. Darwin also shows how geographic isolation can lead members of
one species evolving independently, which gradually leads to the creation of two distinct species.
Beyond the scientific community, Darwins ideas clashed both with the believes of religion and
previously developed scientific hypotheses, such as the notion of intelligent design. Overall,
Darwins theory has been and still is controversial; nevertheless, his Theory of Evolution has
withstood the test of time and extensive testing, leading it to be one of sciences most strongly
supported theories and one of humanitys most well substantiated explanations of the origin of
species.

TEN SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS

1. Selective Advantage: A selective advantage is a trait that allows one organism to survive
better than other members of the same species. A selective advantage could be color, shape
of a limb, or agility. For example, the some finches that Darwin observed had longer beaks
than others, giving them a selective advantage to utilize certain food sources.

2. Variation: Variation exists in all species, whether it be from random mutation or adaptation.
Variation is the fundamental element in natural selection, as the varying traits of individuals
in a population leads to some of those individuals having a selective advantage. These
individuals will be the best suited to survive, reproduce, and pass on their genes. Darwin
noted variation in finch beaks on the Galapagos islands; he hypothesized that the variation in
beaks were due to the varying food sources of the different types of finches.

3. Evolution: Evolution is the result of natural selection. As certain genes are selected for due
to natural selection, a species will begin to develop a gene pool different than what it was in
previous generations. In combination with time, natural selection leads a species away from
what it once was, ultimately causing that species to evolve into a completely unique species,
hence the term evolution. By Darwins observations, he saw evolution within the finches. He
believed that the different types of finches he saw originated, or evolved, from one single
type of finch.

4. Geographical Isolation: Geographical isolation occurs when members of the same species
are isolated by a geographical barrier, such as a mountain or a body of water. This barrier
separates the two species, often causing them to evolve on their own, ultimately resulting in
Perry Jiang 3B

the formation of two distinct species. The different finches Darwin observed on the
Galapagos islands were perhaps the result of geographical isolation; different members of the
same species of finch were isolated on different islands.

5. Inheritance: Inheritance refers to the passing down of traits from parents to offspring. It is
through this mechanism that a parents young will be able to receive traits that lead to
descent with modification. Although Darwin did not know about genes, he still
hypothesized that a parents offspring will inherit some traits of the parent.

6. Resources: A resource is anything that an organism uses to survive and reproduce. A
resource can be food, water, land, or other members of the same species. Often, one resource
is used by multiple species, and these species will often compete to acquire the limited
resource. Those species or individuals, such as finches with a particular beak shape, will have
the best advantage when competition for a resource.

7. Extinction: Extinction is the dying out of all members of a species. Extinction can occur due
to many reasons, such as the loss of habitat, imbalance between predator and prey, or
competition. According to Darwins theory, a species competing with a more fit species for
resources will ultimately go extinct or be forced to find a new way to obtain the resources.

8. Common Ancestor: A common ancestor is a species that two unique species originated
from in the past. The divergence of the common ancestor into multiple species could be the
result of geographical isolation, in the case of the finches. Common ancestry provides strong
support for the theory of evolution, which states that new species are derived from other
species.

9.