Download 15-1 - Kleins

The diversity of life
CH 15-1
The diverse Planet
We share our planet
with millions of other
species
These species all
have various
differences like
shape, size, and
habitat
These differences
are known as
biological diversity
Biodiversity
Biological diversity
was created through
what we know today
as Evolution
Evolution is the
theory that states
that over large
periods of time, an
organism or species
will change
Evolutionary Theory
When studying
evolutionary theory it
is important to
understand that it is
theory and not law
This means that the
idea is testable and
has been supported
by evidence but has
not been proven
100%
Darwinism
The first person to do any research on the change
in the diversity of life on planet earth was Charles
Darwin
He accomplished this by traveling the world aboard
the H.M.S. Beagle
Darwinism
Darwin compiled his
observations and
brought back to
England evidence of
the changes in the
species
Shortly after, he
compiled his work
into a book called
“The Origin of
Species”
Darwin’s Observations
During his travels,
Darwin had made
many observations
about both plant and
animal life at every
stop on his voyage
What intrigued him
the most were the
patterns of diversity
he observed
Darwin’s observations
One of Darwin’s
observations was
that so many of the
species he came
across were very
well suited for their
particular
environment
He also noted how
similar environments
were homes to
sometimes very
Darwin’s Observations
Besides observing
living specimens,
Darwin also wrote
observations about
fossils
Fossils, preserved
remains of once
living organisms,
were like puzzle
pieces for Darwin
Darwin’s Observations
Fossils interested
Darwin for two main
reasons
Some fossils looked
very similar to
current living species
while others were
very different
What happened to
the species that are
no longer living
Darwin’s Observations
Of all the places the
H.M.S. Beagle
visited, the
Galapagos Islands
off the coast of
South America were
the most important
stops
It was here Darwin
first came to some
conclusions about
biodiversity
The Galapagos Islands
While on the
Galapagos Islands,
Darwin examined
many animals and
plants but we will
concentrate on two
of them
The land tortoises
The finches
Galapagos Tortoises
There are several
different types of
tortoises on the
Galapagos Islands
They vary in many
ways but most
notably in shell
shape
It was noted by
Darwin that the
shape varies by
which island they
Galapagos Finches
While on the
Galapagos Islands,
Darwin also studied
the finches that lived
on the islands
The differences in
these birds was
most notably their
beaks
Darwin’s Conclusions
On his voyage home
to England, Darwin
came to a few
hypothesis
His most notable
was questioning if
the different animals
had once been
members of the
same species