| In a world dominated by religious dogma, where | | | | across the Galapagos, and explain why each bill |
| people turned to the Church both | | | | was specialized to a specific |
| moral guidance and rational inquiries, two | | | | resource abundant in the area that species of |
| Englishmen offered a theory that | | | | finch was found. Darwin coined the |
| challenged the old ways and unified the study of | | | | term natural selection to describe the process by |
| biology. Though history has | | | | which only favorable variations |
| credited Charles Darwin as the source of both | | | | survive.Though Darwin's roots as a geologist and |
| natural selection and evolution, his | | | | his study of Charles Lyells, Principles of |
| lesser known colleague, Alfred Russel Wallace | | | | Geology , planted the seed for belief that great |
| (A.R Wallace) had independently | | | | changes were the outcome of |
| arrived at the conclusion. The experiences that | | | | gradual processes over huge periods of time, |
| formulated both versions of | | | | Darwin did not apply this idea to |
| evolution were independent in time and location, | | | | biology until his study of fossils.In 1837 Darwin |
| illustrating that the phenomena | | | | began making detailed notes of evolution. Studying |
| was not unique to any one temporal or | | | | homologous |
| geographic location.The concept of natural | | | | structures, vestigial organs and embryological |
| selection (as understood today) began with the | | | | development of living species gave |
| HMS Beagle, | | | | him ample evidence that evolution was occurring. |
| a 235 tonne brig sloop, on which Charles Darwin | | | | Once natural selection became |
| travelled for five years. Though the | | | | the avenue for explaining why evolution |
| ship was not commissioned to radically alter the | | | | occurred, Darwin had amassed a huge |
| face of biology, it inevitably helped | | | | amount of evidence for his theory. His facts |
| its now famous passenger to do just that. Joining | | | | eventually took the form of a 230 page |
| Captain Robert FitzRoy as an | | | | essay written over two years, titled The Origin |
| unpaid gentlemen, Charles Darwin looked forward | | | | of Species.Though he arrived at the same |
| to the opportunity to pursue his | | | | conclusion as Charles Darwin, A.R Wallace did so |
| love for geology in South America. During the | | | | at a |
| five year journey, Darwin had the | | | | later date, taking a different route. Unlike his |
| opportunity to visit a group of small islands off | | | | famous counterpart, Wallace was not |
| the coast of present day Ecuador | | | | interested in geology or rock formations; his goal |
| called the Galapagos. Darwin, a budding naturalist, | | | | was to solve the riddle of the |
| spent a great deal of time | | | | origin of species. Like Darwin, Wallace chose |
| collecting samples for later study and taking | | | | South America as his destination to |
| meticulous notes on rock formations | | | | find an answer to the riddle. He found both |
| and geological trends. As an after thought he | | | | evidence and bad luck. Concluding his |
| embellished in the crews custom of | | | | voyage two years later due to an illness, A.R. |
| collecting various species of birds from the | | | | Wallace decided to return to England |
| locations visited. This tradition would | | | | and begin cataloging the large collection he had |
| set Darwin on the road to discover natural | | | | amassed. On his voyage home his |
| selection.Though the birds played little role in his | | | | ship caught fire and sank, taking with it a |
| writings subsequent to his voyage, they | | | | substantial portion of his samples. |
| ultimately gave him a reference to which he | | | | Determined not to let a little bad luck inhibit his |
| could ground his theory of natural | | | | thirst for knowledge, Wallace left |
| selection. Darwin eventually returned to the birds | | | | for Indonesia two years later. It was during the |
| after John Gould, an ornithologist, | | | | eight years A.R. Wallace spent in |
| revealed that what Darwin thought were a series | | | | Indonesia where he came up with his theory of |
| of different species of birds were in | | | | speciation via survival of the fittest.Unlike Darwin, |
| fact, all varying species of Finch. Intrigued, he | | | | Wallace did not study finches to formulate his |
| began to pore over his notes quickly | | | | theory, rather, Wallace |
| discovering, or re-discovering, that each species | | | | observed a slew of organisms including the |
| of finch had a distinctive bill, | | | | Rhacophorus Nigropalmatus, or the |
| unique to a particular food source that was | | | | flying frog. Like Darwin, Wallace observed how |
| abundant to the island it was obtained.Reading the | | | | geographic separation seemed to |
| ideas of economist Thomas Malthus, Darwin | | | | cause speciation amongst similar individuals. He |
| began to formulate the | | | | too eventually connected these |
| foundations for evolution. Malthus argued that a | | | | observations back to Thomas Malthus, eventually |
| human population growing | | | | authoring a mechanism to how |
| unchecked would double every 25 years. | | | | such change occurred. He called what Darwin |
| Because no environment can sustain | | | | referred to as natural selection, |
| infinite growth, there was intense competition for | | | | "survival of the fittest". The "survival of the |
| the finite resources available. | | | | fittest" concept used by Wallace was |
| Building on Mathuses idea, Darwin was able to | | | | similar to Darwin's but not identical. Both agreed |
| apply the concept of competition for | | | | that some sort of selection |
| finite resources to the observations made during | | | | occurred, but while Wallace described it as a |
| his journey to the Galapagos.Variation between | | | | natural phenomena, Darwin used |
| individuals of a species exists when combined with | | | | selective breeding as a means to explain and |
| limited | | | | understand the mechanism.In essence, A.R |
| resources leads to competition. Darwin theorized | | | | Wallace arrived at the same conclusions that |
| that if the preceding statement | | | | Darwin had some |
| was true, that species with advantageous | | | | twenty years before. When he sent Darwin an |
| variations would more likely survive then | | | | early manuscript of his findings, |
| those without. This idea would explain the | | | | Darwin realized that he could no longer hold back |
| variation in the bills of finches he saw | | | | his results. |