Charles Darwin, theory of evolution, and natural selection; familiar terms, but do you understand how evolution works? These articles may provide the missing link.

What Was Darwin’s Contribution?

Most of us understand that evolution means change and associate Charles Darwin with the Theory of Evolution, but Darwin was not the first person to observe that living things evolve or change over time. His primary and essential contribution was in figuring out how evolutionary change occurs; natural selection.

What Is Natural Selection?

Selection is the process by which the organisms that are best adapted to their environment tend to be the ones that survive to reproduce and pass on their genes to the next generation. The genes of those individuals that are most “fit” are the genes that comprise the next generation, hence the term ‘survival of the fittest.’ The environment is the ‘genetic sculptor’ which can, over time, change the characteristics of the organisms within a population.

What Is Artificial Selection?

Artificial selection is when it is not the natural environment selecting for certain traits, but rather when humans are manipulating the genetics of an organism by selectively breeding individuals that have the desired traits. The farmers who, each season, select only the seeds of the most robust corn plants to sow the next crop; the breeders who want a domestic animal to have certain characteristics (a flat-faced Persian cat, a high-yield dairy cow; the tiny canine Chihuahua) are each acting as the genetic shapers, selecting for the traits that they want to encourage from generation to generation.

Evolution Basics Article Series

The following is a collection of articles and associated links that will familiarize you with the basic concepts of evolution, selection and the history of their scientific discovery.

Charles Darwin & Evolution: Natural Selection as the Mechanism of Biological Change

Darwin was not the first to understand that organisms evolve or change over time. His crucial contribution was in identifying the mechanism of change, natural selection.

Pre-Darwinian Evolutionary Theory: John Lamarck, George Cuvier, James Hutton and Charles Lyell

You may believe Darwin the alpha and omega on evolutionary thought, but the proponents of Larmackianism, Catastrophism and Uniformitarianism paved the way.

Evolution & Natural Selection: Genetic Diversity, Relative Fitness and Population Shift

We've all heard the phrase 'survival of the fittest' but how does it actually work? This article explores the basics of evolutionary theory and natural selection.

Natural & Artificial Selection: Mechanism of Evolution: Biological Change in Wild & Domestic Animals

Natural selection is the driving force of evolution. The environment selects the winners and losers. In artificial selection we are the shapers of other living things.

Evolution as Theory & Fact: Charles Darwin's Evolutionary Mechanism, Natural Selection

"It is important to understand that the current questions about how life evolves in no way imply any disagreement over the fact of evolution." - Neil A. Campbell

More Information on Evolution

To learn more about evolution see the science reference website Science Prof Online or Berkeley’s Understanding Evolution site.

Sources

Brown, Bryson (2007) Evolution: A Historical Perspective. Greenwood Press.

Campbell & Reece (2005) Biology, 7th Edition. Pearson.