darwin’s voyage of discovery - mr. dones'...

Darwin’s Voyage of Discovery

Evolution - process by which modern

organisms descended from ____________ ancestors

Although a theory, evolution is well-

supported and well-tested.

- the gradual

changes in

organisms over long

periods of time

Charles Darwin

creator of the theory of evolution

(1809 – 1882)

Darwin’s Voyage of Discovery

- 1831 – Charles Darwin’s 5-year voyage on

the H.M.S. Beagle as a naturalist at age 22

Many of Darwin's ideas on the Theory of

Evolution were formed during his 5 year

trip around the world.

H.M.S. Beagle

Darwin’s Voyage of Discovery

England EUROPE

NORTH

AMERICA

Galápagos

Islands

Darwin in 1840,

after his return

SOUTH

AMERICA

Cape of

Good Hope

Cape Horn

Tierra del Fuego

AFRICA HMS Beagle in port

AUSTRALIA

Tasmania

New

Zealand

PACIFIC

OCEAN A

ndes

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

The Beagle sailed from England in 1831, went around

South America, below Australia, below Africa, and back

to England.

Darwin’s Voyage of Discovery

Darwin’s Observations from South America

He made numerous observations, collected many

specimens and fossils

For example, Darwin collected 68 different species

of beetles when the ship stopped at Brazil – he was

amazed at the diversity of life.

Darwin’s Voyage of Discovery

Darwin realized an enormous number of

__________ either live or lived on Earth

Darwin’s Voyage of Discovery

species

Plants and animals seemed well suited to

different environments

Darwin’s Voyage of Discovery

Same species did not always occupy same

habitats in different lands

Darwin’s Voyage of Discovery

For example: the European rabbit occupies

grasslands around Europe, but rabbits were

not in the Australian grasslands until they

were introduced as an invasive species

Darwin later wrote that similar species are found in

the same ecosystems in different parts of the world.

extinct marsupial wolf wolf of North America

Some fossils looked similar to living species;

others were totally different

Darwin’s Voyage of Discovery

Drawings made

by Darwin

The Galapagos Islands - off west coast of

______ _________ South America

The Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands Importance of the trip to the islands:

Islands were close together, but

climates varied

Species on different islands, although similar,

had distinct differences

The Galapagos Islands Importance of the trip to the islands:

Darwin explained the difference between Hood Island

and Isabela Island shell shapes in this manner:

Hood Island Tortoise Isabela Island Tortoise

Isabela Island had dome-shaped shells and short

necks for the abundance of vegetation close to the

ground.

Hood Island had short, curved shells to allow their

long necks to reach the high, sparse vegetation;

The Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands

Importance of the trip to the islands:

Collected many specimens of different

__________ he could not identify birds

Darwin’s Finches

Each species of finch

had a beak designed to

eat food in its niche on

its island.

Darwin originally thought these were different

types of birds – back in England, an ornithologist

friend told him they were different species of

finches.

The Galapagos Islands

Darwin wondered if animals on different

islands had once belonged to the __________

species on mainland South America.

The Journey Home

same