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The Evolution and Phylogeny of Life: Insights from Darwin and Early Theorists

This course delves into the origins of evolutionary theory, highlighting key figures such as Erasmus Darwin, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, and Charles Darwin. We explore the evolution of thought from ancient philosophies to modern understandings, focusing on the monumental works that shaped our comprehension of natural selection—especially Darwin's "On the Origin of Species." Additionally, we'll examine the contributions of Alfred Russel Wallace and the implications of gradualism versus punctuated equilibria in the context of evolutionary biology.

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The Evolution and Phylogeny of Life: Insights from Darwin and Early Theorists

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  1. Evolution and Phylogeny BIOL240.002 Zoology 25 August 2014

  2. The Origin of the Concept of Evolution • Darwin • Erasmus Darwin, that is (grandfather of Charles) • b. 1731, d. 1802 • London-area physician • Naturalist • Inventor • Poet

  3. Jean Baptiste Lamarck • b. 1744, d. 1829 • PhilosophieZoologique (1809) • Included chapter on evolutionary change over generations • “Use and disuse” • Giraffe necks • Egret legs • Blacksmith children • Lack of legs in snakes

  4. Robert Chambers • Scottish pamphleteer • Anonymous author of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation (1845) • Theological view of evolutionary change over time in living organisms

  5. Charles Robert Darwin • b. 1809, d. 1882 • Father Robert Darwin, a London-area physician • College: medicine (Edinburgh), then theology (Cambridge) • 1831-1836: voyage on the H.M.S. Beagle • Mapping of South America and oceanic island groups

  6. Voyage of the H.M.S. BeagleDec. 1831 – Oct. 1836 Fig. 1.5 p. 7

  7. John Stevens Henslow • Darwin’s professor at Cambridge (botanist, zoologist, geologist, paleontologist, etc.) • Suggested him for the post • Corresponded with Darwin and received his specimens during the voyage

  8. Darwin Timeline • 1836—Return to England • 1837—Marriage and retreat to Downe —Opens first private notebook on the “species question” • 1838—“Eureka Moment” while reading Thomas Malthus’ essay On Population(1798)

  9. Malthus and the Idea forNatural Selection • Gist: Human populations grow more rapidly than does their capacity to feed themselves • Darwin’s four observations: • a) Variation • b) Inheritance • c) Variation’s role in survival and reproduction • d) Organisms produce more offspring than the environment can support

  10. Darwin’s Thought Process for Natural Selection p. 11

  11. Darwin’s “Struggle for Existence” • Determination of which variants survive, in the face of the death made necessary by environmental limitations on population growth • Philosopher Herbert Spencer: “Survival of the Fittest”

  12. Darwin Timeline • 1842—First draft of theory (35 pp.) • 1844—Second draft (230 pp.) • Shared second draft with eminent geologist Sir Charles Lyell and botanist Joseph Hooker

  13. Darwin Timeline • 1846-1854—4 volumes on barnacle taxonomy • 1856—Lyell and Hooker convince Darwin to start “big book” • To be ~1500 pp.

  14. Alfred Russel Wallace • b. 1823, d. 1913 • Amazon expedition, 1848-1852 • Southeast Asian islands expedition, 1854-1862 • Sent Darwin a manuscript in 1858

  15. Wallace’s 1858 Manuscript • Briefly outlined the concept of evolution by natural selection • Wallace asked Darwin to forward the ms. to Lyell • The ms. and a letter of Darwin’s were both read at a scientific meeting • 1859: Origin of Species • “Just” 500+ pages

  16. HANDOUT—The Sole Illustration in Darwin’s Origin of Species

  17. Ernst Haeckel’sTree of Life Fig. 1.9 p. 10

  18. A Phlyogeny of Antelopes Fig. 1.13 p. 15

  19. Hawai’ian Honeycreeper Phylogeny p. 1

  20. Diversity Through Time Fig. 1.15 p. 18

  21. Gradualism vs. Punctuated Equilibria Fig. 1.25 p. 25 Fig. 1.26 p. 25

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