Chapter 15, Problem 33A

Summary Introduction

To analyze:

Charles Darwin’s letter to his father detailing the observations about Beagle.

Introduction:

Charles Robert Darwin is mainly known for his contributions to the science of evolution. He was a famous biologist, geologist and an English naturalist. Darwin on the basis of natural selection gave the theory of evolution. Charles Darwingave his theory from his findings from a five year expedition onboard Beagle.

Explanation of Solution

To,

Robert Darwin

XYZ area

Date: 28 Sep 2020

Dear Dad,

I am fine here and hope the same for you. I am writing this letter to tell you about my observations aboard the Beagle.

After visiting many places and studying various plants and animals, I found fossils of extinct animals that were very much similar to the modern species. Also, on the Galapagos islands, many variations of plants and animals were there that came into my notice and were similar to the ones that I observed in South America. This gave me evidence that species have just adapted over time and to their environment. After coming back to London, I analyzed the samples of the specimen that I had collected on the voyage which again helped me to propose a theory that evolution occurs and it has occurred gradually over thousands of years.

I can clearly observe and say that the variations occur within species and it occurs randomly. Organisms can survive or cannot survive as per their environment. If the environment is suitable for an organism to survive, then it will survive but if it’s not then the organism will not be able to survive. So, survival depends upon how an organism adapts to its environment.

These were the observations made by me on aboard the Beagle.

Conclusion

Therefore, during the Beagle voyage, three observations made were adaptation, natural selection and variation.