Charles Darwin's contributions to biology. Evolutionary teaching (theory of evolution) How does evolutionary teaching differ from the theory of evolution

You will read a message about the English scientist and naturalist in this article.

Charles Darwin's contributions to science

He created the evolutionary theory, substantiating it scientifically. Charles Darwin's doctrine of natural selection is set out in his main work, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, published in 1859.

Charles Darwin's contributions to biology

The English scientist believed that the struggle for existence and hereditary variability are the driving forces of evolution. The struggle causes natural selection, during which only the fittest individuals of a certain species survive. During the process of reproduction, their hereditary changes are summed up and accumulated. Today, Darwin's teachings are called "Darwinism" or "evolutionary doctrine." But let's take a closer look at how the naturalist Charles Darwin came to the discovery of his theory.

First of all, he studied the achievements of his predecessors and made several trips to South America to study the geological deposits of the skeletons of giant non-toothed animals. The scientist also studied the ancestors of bramblings on the Galapagos Islands, which flew here from the mainland and adapted to new food sources: nectar, hard seeds and insects. Charles Darwin thought that species changes in animals are due to their adaptation to new living conditions. Returning home, he set himself the task of solving the question of the origin of species. In 1859, in his book “The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection,” he summarized the collected empirical material on biology and breeding practice, based on observations made during his travels. Then there were two more books with factual materials: “Change in Domestic Animals and Cultivated Plants” (1868), “The Descent of Man and Sexual Selection” (1871). The theory of natural selection he put forward, when stronger and fitter species survive in the world, made him an authoritative scientist in the world of science.

The basis of Darwin's theory is the property of heredity: the ability of an organism to repeat the type of metabolism of its predecessors in individual development. This ensures the constancy and diversity of life forms. Darwin even came up with a so-called motto for his theory - “the struggle for existence.” This concept is used by scientists to describe the interactions between organisms and abiotic conditions. These conditions lead to the fact that only the fittest individuals survive, and the less fit die.

Achievements of Charles Darwin

In addition to the theory of evolution, he I was interested in studying psychology. In 1872 and 1877, he published the works “On the Expression of Sensations in Animals and Humans,” “Instinct,” and “Biographical Sketch of a Child.” The scientist was the first to use the objective method of study in psychology as a form of observation rather than experiment. The English naturalist was also the first to study the mental phenomenon of expression of emotions through the principle of objective analysis.

CHARLES DARWIN DARWIN, CHARLES (ROBERT) 1809–1882), ENGLISH NATURALIST AND WRITER, FOUNDER OF THE TEACH OF THE ORIGIN OF ANIMAL AND PLANT SPECIES BY NATURAL SELECTION. BORN FEBRUARY 12, 1809 IN SHREWSBURY. I STUDYED MEDICINE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH FOR TWO YEARS, FOR WHICH I FINALLY CONSIDERED MYSELF UNFIT. IN 1827 HE ATTENDED THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, WHERE HE STUDYED THEOLOGY FOR THREE YEARS, BUT THEN DECIDED THAT HE HAD NO APPEAL FOR THIS ACTIVITY.

Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in the family of a doctor. While studying at the universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge, Darwin gained a deep knowledge of zoology, botany and geology, and a skill and taste for field research. The book “Principles of Geology” by the outstanding English geologist Charles Lyell played a major role in the formation of his scientific worldview. Lyell argued that the modern appearance of the Earth took shape gradually under the influence of the same natural forces that operate at the present time. Darwin was familiar with the evolutionary ideas of Erasmus Darwin, Lamarck and other early evolutionists, but he did not find them convincing.

In 1831, after graduating from university, he set off on a trip around the world on the Royal Navy expedition ship Beagle as a naturalist and returned to England only in October. During his trip, Darwin visited the island of Tenerife, the Cape Verde Islands, the coast of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, in Tierra del Fuego, Tasmania and the Cocos Islands and made a huge number of observations in zoology, botany, geology, paleontology, anthropology and ethnography. He outlined their results in the works Diary of a Naturalist’s Research, Zoology of the Voyage on the Beagle, Structure, Distribution of Coral Reefs, etc.

Upon returning from his voyage, Darwin begins to ponder the problem of the origin of species. He considers various ideas, including Lamarck's idea, and rejects them, since none of them explains the facts of the amazing adaptability of animals and plants to their living conditions. What the early evolutionists thought was a given and self-explanatory seems to be the most important question for Darwin. It collects data on the variability of animals and plants in nature and under domestication. Many years later, recalling how his theory arose, Darwin would write: “I soon realized that the cornerstone of man’s success in creating useful races of animals and plants was selection. However, for some time it remained a mystery to me how selection could be applied to organisms living under natural conditions."

After reading Malthus's book On Population, in October 1838, Darwin came up with the idea of the origin of species through natural selection. For 20 years he worked on it. In 1856, on Lyell's advice, he began preparing his work for publication. In 1858, the young English scientist Alfred Wallace sent Darwin the manuscript of his article “On the Tendency of Varieties to Deviate Unlimitedly from the Original Type.” This article contained an exposition of the idea of the origin of species through natural selection. Darwin was ready to refuse to publish his work, but his friends geologist Charles Lyell and botanist G. Hooker, who had long known about Darwin’s idea and were familiar with the preliminary drafts of his book, convinced the scientist that both works should be published simultaneously.

In 1859, he published his book The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, in which he hypothesized that the currently existing species of animals and plants are not constant, but variable and descended from some other species through gradual evolutionary changes. Man, in his opinion, descended from monkeys.

Basic principles of Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory. 1. Within each species of living organisms, there is a huge range of individual hereditary variability in morphological, physiological, behavioral and any other characteristics. This variability may be continuous, quantitative, or intermittent qualitative, but it always exists.

4. In the conditions of the struggle for existence, the most adapted individuals survive and give birth to offspring, having those deviations that accidentally turned out to be adaptive to given environmental conditions. This is a fundamentally important point in Darwin's argument. Deviations do not arise purposefully in response to the action of the environment, but randomly. Few of them prove useful in specific conditions. The descendants of a surviving individual, who inherit the beneficial deviation that allowed their ancestor to survive, turn out to be more adapted to the given environment than other members of the population. 5. Darwin called survival and preferential reproduction of adapted individuals natural selection.

On these postulates, impeccable from a logical point of view and supported by a huge number of facts, the modern theory of evolution was created. Darwin's main merit is that he established the mechanism of evolution, which explains both the diversity of living beings and their amazing expediency and adaptability to the conditions of existence. This mechanism is gradual natural selection of random undirected hereditary changes. The most important advances in evolutionary biology in recent years have been achieved thanks to the active application of ideas and methods of molecular genetics and developmental biology in evolutionary research.

1. Within each species of living organisms, there is a huge range of individual hereditary variability in morphological, physiological, behavioral and any other characteristics. This variability may be continuous, quantitative, or intermittent qualitative, but it always exists. 2. All living organisms reproduce exponentially.

3. Life resources for any type of living organism are limited, and therefore there must be a struggle for existence either between individuals of the same species, or between individuals of different species, or with natural conditions. In the concept of “struggle for existence,” Darwin included not only the individual’s actual struggle for life, but also the struggle for success in reproduction. 4. In the conditions of the struggle for existence, the most adapted individuals survive and give birth to offspring, having those deviations that accidentally turned out to be adaptive to given environmental conditions. This is a fundamentally important point in Darwin's argument. Deviations do not arise purposefully in response to the action of the environment, but randomly. Few of them prove useful in specific conditions. The descendants of a surviving individual, who inherit the beneficial deviation that allowed their ancestor to survive, turn out to be more adapted to the given environment than other members of the population.

5. Darwin called the survival and preferential reproduction of adapted individuals natural selection. 6. Natural selection of individual isolated varieties in different conditions of existence gradually leads to divergence (divergence) of the characteristics of these varieties and, ultimately, to speciation. On these postulates, impeccable from a logical point of view and supported by a huge number of facts, the modern theory of evolution was created.

Evolutionary doctrine (theory of evolution)- a science that studies the historical development of life: causes, patterns and mechanisms. There are micro- and macroevolution. Microevolution— evolutionary processes at the population level, leading to the formation of new species. Macroevolution— the evolution of supraspecific taxa, as a result of which larger systematic groups are formed. They are based on the same principles and mechanisms.

Heraclitus, Empidocles, Democritus, Lucretius, Hippocrates, Aristotle and other ancient philosophers expressed the first ideas about the development of living nature.

Carl Linnaeus(1707-1778) - Swedish naturalist. The founder of the principles and methods of systematics of the organic world. For the first time, he consistently applied the binary nomenclature of plants and animals.

Carl Linnaeus believed in the creation of nature by God and the constancy of species, but allowed the possibility of the emergence of new species through crossing or under the influence of environmental conditions. In the book “The System of Nature,” C. Linnaeus substantiated the species as a universal unit and the basic form of existence of living things; assigned a double designation to each species of animal and plant, where the noun is the name of the genus, the adjective is the name of the species (for example, Homo sapiens); described a huge number of plants and animals; developed the basic principles of taxonomy of plants and animals and created their first classification.

Jean Baptiste Lamarck(1744-1829) - French naturalist, botanist, zoologist, paleontologist, evolutionist. Introduced the term "biology". Creator of the first holistic evolutionary theory. For the first time he divided animals into vertebrates and invertebrates.

Jean Baptiste Lamarck created the first holistic evolutionary doctrine. In his work “Philosophy of Zoology” (1809), he identified the main direction of the evolutionary process - the gradual complication of organization from lower to higher forms. He also developed a hypothesis about the natural origin of man from ape-like ancestors who switched to a terrestrial lifestyle. Lamarck considered the driving force of evolution to be the desire of organisms for perfection and argued that acquired characteristics are inherited, i.e. organs necessary in new conditions develop as a result of exercise (giraffe’s neck), and unnecessary organs atrophy due to lack of exercise (mole’s eyes). However, Lamarck was unable to reveal the mechanisms of the evolutionary process. His hypothesis about the inheritance of acquired characteristics turned out to be untenable, and his statement about the internal desire of organisms for improvement was unscientific.

Evolutionary doctrine of Charles Darwin

Charles Robert Darwin(1809-1882) - English naturalist, founder of the materialistic evolutionary doctrine of the origin of species through natural selection. Author of a number of works on the evolution of the organic world: “The Origin of Species by Natural Selection”, “Changes in Domestic Animals and Cultivated Plants under the Influence of Domestication”, “The Origin of Man and Sexual Selection”.

The evolutionary doctrine of Charles Darwin was based on the concepts of “struggle for existence” and “natural selection”. The prerequisites for the emergence of the teachings of Charles Darwin were the following: the accumulation by that time of rich material on paleontology, geography, geology, biology; selection development; advances in taxonomy; emergence of cell theory; the scientist’s own observations during his circumnavigation of the world on the Beagle.

Darwin's teaching boils down to this:

Each individual of a particular species has individuality ( variability);
Personality traits (although not all) can be inherited ( heredity);
individuals produce more offspring than survive to sexual maturity and the beginning of reproduction, i.e. goes in nature struggle for existence;
the advantage in the struggle for existence remains with the most adapted individuals, who have a greater chance of leaving behind offspring ( natural selection);
as a result of natural selection, there is a gradual complication of the levels of organization of life and emergence of species.

Factors of evolution according to Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin included variability, heredity, the struggle for existence, and natural selection as factors of evolution.

Heredity- the ability of organisms to transmit their characteristics (features of structure, function, development) from generation to generation.

Variability- the ability of organisms to acquire new characteristics.

Struggle for existence- the whole complex of relationships between organisms and environmental conditions: with inanimate nature (abiotic factors) and with other organisms (biotic factors). The struggle for existence is not a “struggle” in the literal sense of the word; in fact, it is a survival strategy and a way of existing for an organism. There are intraspecific, interspecific struggle and the fight against unfavorable environmental factors. Intraspecific struggle- fight between individuals of the same population. It is always very stressful, since individuals of the same species need the same resources. Interspecies fight- struggle between individuals of populations of different species. It occurs when species compete for the same resources, or when they are connected by a predator-prey relationship. Combating unfavorable abiotic environmental factors especially manifests itself when environmental conditions deteriorate; intensifies intraspecific struggle.

In the struggle for existence, the individuals most adapted to the given living conditions are identified. The struggle for existence leads to natural selection.

Natural selection- a process as a result of which predominantly individuals with hereditary changes that are useful under given conditions survive and leave behind offspring.

All biological and many other natural sciences were restructured on the basis of Darwinism.

Synthetic theory of evolution (STE)

Currently the most generally accepted is synthetic theory of evolution. The main provisions of the STE will be discussed below. A comparative description of the main provisions of the evolutionary teachings of Charles Darwin and STE is given in the table:

Comparative characteristics of the main provisions of the evolutionary teachings of Charles Darwin and the synthetic theory of evolution (STE)

Sign	Evolutionary theory of Charles Darwin	Synthetic theory of evolution
Main results of evolution	Increasing the adaptability of organisms to environmental conditions. Increasing the level of organization of living beings. Increased diversity of organisms.
Unit of evolution	View	Population
Factors of evolution	Heredity, variability, struggle for existence, natural selection	Mutational and combinative variability, population waves and genetic drift, isolation, natural selection
Driving factor	Natural selection
Interpretation of the term “natural selection”	Survival of the more fit and death of the less fit	Selective reproduction of genotypes
Forms of natural selection	Propulsive (and sexual as its variety)	Moving, stabilizing, disruptive

The emergence of devices

Each adaptation is developed on the basis of hereditary variability in the process of struggle for existence and selection over a series of generations. Natural selection supports only expedient adaptations that help an organism survive and produce offspring.

The adaptability of organisms to the environment is not absolute, but relative, since environmental conditions can change. Many facts prove this. For example, fish are perfectly adapted to an aquatic environment, but all these adaptations are completely unsuitable for other habitats. Moths collect nectar from light-colored flowers, which are clearly visible at night, but often fly into the fire and die.

Today, few would deny Darwin's enormous contribution to biology. The name of this scientist is familiar to every adult. Many of you can sum up Darwin's contributions to biology in a nutshell. However, only a few will be able to talk in detail about the theory he created. After reading the article you will be able to do this.

Achievements of the ancient Greeks

Before describing Darwin's contributions to biology, let us briefly describe the achievements of other scientists on the path to the discovery of the theory of evolution.

Anaximander, an ancient Greek thinker, back in the 6th century BC. e. said that man evolved from animals. His ancestors were supposedly covered in scales and lived in water. A little later, in the 4th century. BC e., Aristotle noted that nature preserves useful traits that randomly appear in animals in order to make them more viable in the future. And brothers who do not have these signs die. It is known that Aristotle created the “ladder of beings.” He arranged the organisms in order from simplest to most complex. This staircase began with stones and ended with a man.

Transformism and creationism

The Englishman M. Hale first used the term “evolution” (from the Latin “unfoldment”) in 1677. He outlined to them the unity of the historical and individual development of organisms. In biology, in the 18th century, the doctrine of how different species of plants and animals changed appeared. It was opposed to creationism, according to which God created the world and all species remain unchanged. Supporters of transformism include the French scientist Georges Buffort, as well as the English researcher Erasmus Darwin. The first theory of evolution was proposed by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in his 1809 work Philosophy of Zoology. However, it was Charles Darwin who revealed its true factors. The contribution to biology of this scientist is invaluable.

The merit of Charles Darwin

He owns an evolutionary theory, scientifically substantiated. He outlined it in a work entitled “The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.” Darwin published this book in 1859. Contributions to biology can be briefly summarized as follows. Darwin believed that - hereditary variability, as well as the struggle for existence. In conditions of struggle, the inevitable result of this variability is natural selection, which represents the preferential survival of the fittest individuals of a particular species. Thanks to their participation in reproduction, beneficial hereditary changes accumulate and are summed up, as Charles Darwin noted.

His contribution to biology was recognized by scientists who continued research in this direction. The development of science subsequently confirmed that Darwin's theory is correct. Therefore, today the terms “evolutionary doctrine” and “Darwinism” are often used as synonyms.

So, we have briefly described Darwin's contributions to biology. We propose to take a closer look at the theory he created.

Observations that led Darwin to the theory of evolution

Charles Darwin first began to think about the reasons why there are certain similarities and differences between species. He did not make the contribution to biology that we have briefly described immediately. First, they had to study the achievements of their predecessors, as well as make several trips. It was they who prompted the scientist to important thoughts.

He made his main discovery in South America, in geological deposits. These are the skeletons of giant edentates, very similar to modern sloths and armadillos. In addition, Darwin was greatly impressed by the study of animal species living on the island. The scientist discovered on these volcanic islands of recent origin close species of finches that are similar to the mainland ones, but have adapted to different food sources - flower nectar, insects, hard seeds. Charles Darwin concluded that these birds came to the island from the mainland. And the changes that have occurred to them are explained by adaptation to new conditions of existence.

Charles Darwin raised the question that environmental conditions play a role in speciation. The scientist observed a similar picture off the coast of Africa. Living animals, despite a certain similarity with the species inhabiting the mainland, still differ from them in very significant ways.

Darwin could not explain the creation of species and the peculiarities of the development of the rodent tuco-tuco, described by him. These rodents live underground, in burrows. They give birth to sighted cubs, which subsequently become blind. All these and many other facts significantly shook the scientist’s faith in the creation of species. Darwin, returning to England, set himself a large-scale task. He decided to solve the question of the origin of species.

Major works

Darwin's contributions to the development of biology are represented in several of his works. In 1859, in his work, he summarized the empirical material of contemporary breeding practice and biology. In addition, he used the results of his observations made during his travels. His circumnavigation of the world shed light on various species.

Charles Darwin supplemented the main work "The Origin of Species..." with factual materials in his next book, published in 1868. It is known as "Change in Domestic Animals and Cultivated Plants." In another work written in 1871, the scientist hypothesized that humans descend from an ape-like ancestor. Today, many agree with the assumption made by Charles Darwin. His contributions to biology allowed him to become a great authority in the scientific world. Many people even forget that the origin of man from the ape is just a hypothesis, which, although very probable, is still not fully proven.

The property of heredity and its role in evolution

Let us note that Darwin’s theory is based on the property of heredity, that is, the ability of organisms to repeat types of metabolism and, in general, individual development over a series of generations. Together with variability, heredity ensures the diversity and constancy of life forms. It is the basis of the evolution of the entire organic world.

Struggle for existence

“The struggle for existence” is a concept that is one of the main ones in the theory of evolution. Charles used it to refer to the relationships that exist between organisms. In addition, Darwin used it to describe the relationships between abiotic conditions and organisms. Abiotic conditions lead to the survival of the fittest individuals and the death of the less fit.

Two forms of variability

As for variability, Darwin identified two main forms. The first of them is a certain variability. This is the ability of all individuals of a particular species under certain environmental conditions to react in the same way to given conditions (soil, climate). Second form - Its character does not correspond to the observed changes in external conditions. Undefined variability in modern terminology is called mutation.

Mutation

The mutation, unlike the first form, is hereditary. According to Darwin, the minor changes observed in the first are amplified in subsequent generations. The scientist emphasized that in evolution the decisive role belongs to uncertain variability. It is usually associated with harmful or neutral mutations, but there are also some that are called promising.

Mechanism of evolution

According to Darwin, the inevitable result of hereditary variability and the struggle for existence is the survival and reproduction of new organisms that are most adapted to living in their respective environment. And in the course of evolution, the death of the unadapted occurs, that is, natural selection. Its mechanism operates in nature in a similar way to breeders, that is, vague and insignificant individual differences are formed, from which the necessary adaptations in organisms are then formed, as well as differences between species.

Charles Darwin spoke and wrote about all this and much more. The contributions to biology briefly described go beyond what we have covered. However, his main achievements were outlined in general terms. Now you can talk in detail about Darwin's contributions to biology.

Prerequisites for the emergence of Charles Darwin's theory. At the end of the 18th century. the development of capitalism in England required an increase in the raw material base. Industry and agriculture began to develop at a high rate. During this period, much attention was paid to breeding work in order to develop new varieties and breeds. New breeds of cattle, horses, pigs, dogs, and pigeons were developed. New varieties of vegetable, fruit and berry crops have been obtained.
In the 19th century Great strides have been made in the fields of geology, physics, and chemistry. Achievements in the field of science were: the discovery of the theory of the structure of organic compounds by A. M. Butlerov (1861); creation of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements by D. M. Mendeleev (1869); proof by the English geologist C. Lyell that geological changes are not caused by random catastrophes, but occur under the influence of climate, etc. As a result of a study of the development of embryos of vertebrate animals, the existence of a gill arch and gill circulation in the embryos of birds and mammals was proven. Proof of the kinship of fish, birds, mammals and the emergence of their ancestors on land was a huge success in science. Discoveries in various fields of natural science (geology, paleontology, biogeography, embryology, comparative anatomy, cytology, etc.) were in no way consistent with the view of the immutability of nature.

The great English natural scientist, founder of the evolution of the organic world. It was based on materials collected during a 5-year voyage on the Beagle ship. He proved the origin of man from the lower levels of animals. The main factor of evolution was variability, selection, and the struggle for existence. Established the cause and patterns of evolution of the organic world. Works: “The Origin of Species”, “Natural Selection”, “Domestic Animals”, “The Origin of Man, Sexual Selection”, “Worms”, etc.

Rice. 13. Map of Charles Darwin’s trip around the world on the Beagle ship (1831-1836)

A major role in the creation of Charles Darwin’s theory was played by the materials he collected during his trip around the world on the Beagle ship (Fig. 13). Although Darwin did not take the lead in the discovery of evolutionary theory, he proved that evolution is a process of variability in organisms. He was also the first to prove the existence of an evolutionary process, explaining the development of nature by the influence of natural patterns.
Charles Darwin set himself the goal of explaining the similarities and differences between species and the reasons for the diversity of living organisms. He was especially interested in the species composition of plants and animals of the Galapagos Islands. He collected 20 species of plants from the Asteraceae family. On the island he discovered 25 species of birds, including 13 species of finches (Fig. 14).

Rice. 14. Diversity of finches in the Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands are located 700 km off the coast of South America. Therefore, of the birds living on the island, 85% of the species are found nowhere else.
Charles Darwin noticed that the finches from the Galapagos Islands differed from the previously seen finches from the coast of South America. After observing them for three weeks, he became convinced that the main difference between the birds was their beaks. Darwin concluded that despite the fact that all 13 species of birds descended from one common ancestor, the reason for the changes in beaks was their feeding habits. The beaks of finches that feed on hard seeds are very thick; those feeding on berries and fruits - long and thin; feeding on insects and nectar of flowers - sharp as an awl, etc. There are finches, similar to woodpeckers, picking out insects from under the bark of trees.

Works and biography of Charles Darwin. Charles Robert Darwin was born in England on February 12, 1809 in the town of Shrewsbury in the family of a doctor. Father Robert Darwin was a famous doctor. After leaving school in 1826, he entered the medical faculty of the University of Edinburgh, but Darwin was more interested in wildlife rather than medicine. While still at school, he was interested in collecting collections of worms, crayfish, beetles, and snails (molluscs) along the banks of ponds and rivers. Later, in 1828, at the request of his father, he entered the
Faculty of Theology, Cambridge University. Here he also continued to collect materials about wildlife.
In 1831, upon returning from a geological excursion from North Wales, Charles Darwin received a letter from Cambridge University professor John Henslow. In the letter, he reports on the round-the-world voyage of the Beagle ship and asks Charles Darwin to participate in it as a naturalist. Traveling for 5 years, at the age of 22 Charles Darwin collected enormous material. The ship "Beagle" was heading around the world for topographic surveys (mapping) of the coast of South America and the Pacific Islands. In 1836, the ship returns from a trip around the world. Darwin, having studied the collected materials, began work on the book “The Origin of Species.” He then works to collect data on the variability of cultivated plants and domestic animals.
His main works: "The Origin of Species" (1859); "Change in Animals and Cultivated Plants" (1868); "The Descent of Man" (1871); “An Insectivorous Plant” (1875), “The Action of Cross-Pollination and Self-Pollination” (1876); “Pollination of Orchids” (1877), etc. During his trip around the world, Charles Darwin noticed the property of all animals and plants to change under the influence of environmental conditions. Then he begins to collect materials about their variability in artificial and natural conditions. As a result of studying the reasons for the diversity of plant varieties and animal breeds, he determined that changes in nature are associated only with natural laws, and proved that man himself creates varieties and breeds through hereditary variability and artificial selection.
Charles Darwin, exploring the reasons for the origin of new species, drew attention to the intensity of reproduction of organisms in nature.
He gave many examples of intensive reproduction of organisms in order to preserve their offspring.
It has been proven that any species of plants and animals have the ability to reproduce exponentially. At the same time, he noticed that any couple leaves large offspring, but not all reach puberty. During the breeding season, most offspring die from various factors (lack of food, unfavorable environmental conditions, etc.). Based on these factors, Charles Darwin concluded that in nature there is a constant struggle for existence. He proved that the survival of some individuals producing offspring and the extinction of other individuals is the result of natural selection. Darwin called the process of preserving individuals with traits useful for them in certain conditions natural selection, or survival of the fittest.
Thus, Charles Darwin identified three factors in the historical development of the organic world: hereditary variability, struggle
for existence and natural selection. As a result of the interconnection of hereditary variability, the struggle for existence, and natural selection, species adapt to environmental conditions and change. So, these are the main provisions of the evolutionary theory of Charles Darwin.

The basis for the emergence of the teachings of Charles Darwin were scientific prerequisites.
Materials collected during the trip around the world on the Beagle.
Determination of three factors in the development of the organic world: hereditary variability, struggle for existence and natural selection.
Name the main social prerequisites for the emergence of Darwin's teachings.
Name the main works of Charles Darwin.
What did Charles Darwin discover in plants and animals during his trip around the world on the Beagle?
What achievements are known in the field of natural science in the 19th century?
What expeditionary materials collected during the trip helped Charles Darwin prove that new species appear in nature? Give examples.
What factors did Charles Darwin associate with the historical development of the organic world?
Compare the original ancestor of finches (Fig. 14) with its other species.
How do you understand the term intensive reproduction? Why do most of the offspring die?
What are the results of natural selection?

Draw this table on a separate piece of paper. Fill it out by entering accordingly the scientific discoveries of scientists that contributed to the emergence of Darwin's teachings.

* Test your knowledge!
Review questions. Chapter 2. Basics of evolutionary teaching

The name of a term meaning historical development, change, progress.
The scientist is the founder of the doctrine of evolution.
Scientist who wrote the scientific work "The History of Animals."
A student of Aristotle who studied the biology of plants and animals.
Swedish scientist who proposed a taxonomy of the organic world.
The largest systematic group in the system of C. Linnaeus.
How many orders did C. Linnaeus classify mammals into?
The scientist who laid the scientific foundations for the development of the organic world before Charles Darwin.
How many classes did J.B. Lamarck divide invertebrates into?
Scientist who proposed in the 19th century. theory about the structure of organic compounds.
The name of the ship on which Charles Darwin traveled around the world.