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Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection Essay
Charles darwin essay natural selection
Charles Darwin's argument on evolution
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The theory of sexual selection. Charles Darwin came up with the theory of evolution and used the term natural selection to describe it. He proposed that all living species derived from a common ancestor. In On the Origin of Species (1859), Darwin explained: “if variations useful to any organic being do occur, assuredly individuals thus characterised will have the best chance of being preserved in the struggle for life; and from the strong principles of inheritance, will then tend to produce offspring similarly characterised” (p127). Many animals however also develop traits such as antlers, large tails, bright colours, and elaborate vocalization that hinder their survivorship. These traits are usually more predominant in males than in females and are, in some organisms, only expressed during the mating season. The anatomist, John Hunter (1780, 1837), noted these characteristics over 90 years before the publication of Darwin’s The Decent Of Man and deemed them as being ‘secondary’ characters and identified the sex organs as the ‘primary’ characters. In The Decent of Man (1872/1958) Darwin adopted hunter’s distinction between primary and secondary sexual traits with one important difference. Instead of …show more content…
using ‘secondary’ to refer to sexual traits that develop some time after birth, Darwin drew a functional distinction: his primary sexual characters where those connected with the act of reproduction itself, while his secondary sexual characters were used in intrasexual competition to breed. He then came up with the theory of sexual selection to explain the evolutionary process that generate these sexual traits and explained it as such: “This form of selection depends not on the struggle for existence in relation to other organic beings or the external conditions, but on the struggle between individuals of one sex, generally the males, for the possession of the other sex” (1872, p. 69). Sexual selection vs natural selection Sexual selection is considered by many biologists as a form of natural selection.
In both of these forms of selection, traits or characters are favoured that improve an individuals fitness, or in other words, the ability to pass on the most amount of genes to the next generation relative to other individuals in its population. The two major components that are necessary for an individual to carry on its genes to the next generation are survival and reproduction. As previously mentioned, males and to a lesser extent females, use traits in courtship that interfere with their survivorship. This means that a concession can be made between survivorship and mating success and that natural selection and sexual selection can apply conflicting selection tension on a
trait.
Darwin's General Summary and Conclusions of the Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex In the "General Summary and Conclusions" of The Descent of Man, and
[4] Dacks, Joel and Roger, Andrew J. “The First Sexual Lineage and the Relevance of Facultative Sex.” Journal of Molecular Evolution (1999), Issue 48 pg 779-783.
The sexual “arms race” is constantly going on within members of a species. While both male and female are trying to pass on their genes to the next generation, they both try to do this in a different way. Females are attempting to obtain genetic material from the best possible male in order to produce the fittest offspring, while males are trying solely to pass their own genes on to the next generation.
...at mating, although it was a custom for most primate groups, was not able to preserve the population of this particular specie.
Daily and Wilson cite the work of Charles Darwin, who in 1859 published a famous work on the theory of natural selection. The concepts presented in his book were later elaborated in his second work, which dealt with the concept of "sexual selection." Sexual selection according to Darwin's theory, was based on the observation that not all evolutionary adaptations serve a survival function; that in many cases, "a trait might be penalized by 'natural' selection and yet win out by 'sexual' selection." Darwin argued that surviving and living a long life did not ensure reproductive success and therefore an animal's goal of longevity is secondary to its goal of passing on its genes through procreation. These ideas form the foundation for Martin Daly and Margo Wilson's theory.
A psychological mechanism is defined as an adaptation of human behavior that evolved due to evolutionary pressures. This paper focuses on the psychological mechanism of human mating strategies and the evolution of mate preferences. There are several theories to explain how differences in male and female mating strategies developed. This paper explores the parental investment theory, male mating effort as well as the role of different adaptive problems faced by males and females. The traits that humans find attractive in a partner are the ones that confer a reproductive advantage to the individual (Buss, 1994). Early in the literature there is evidence to support the theory that males and females differ in their mate preferences in such a way that males are unselective while females are choosy (Darwin 1871). However, there are also similarities in what each sex finds attractive. It is important to look at how these mating strategies evolved and why adaptive mate preferences continue to exist.
In addition Bateman (1948) suggested that sexual selection is defined by the different levels of investment by each sex to their offspring. Females invest more heavily in offspring as fertilisation, gestation and placentation all occur within...
“Animals are adapted to their conditions in subtle and marvelous ways (Boyd, R., & Silk, J. 1997:2).” It is commonly recognized that Darwin identified adaptations through Natural Selection: traits that are advantageous to survival will be retained in the population through reproduction. Natural Selection further indicates that traits will survive when they are most beneficial to an individual’s fitness. While Natural Selection and Mutation effectively explains adaptive fitness qualities and variance among populations, it fails to explain species beautiful ornamental traits that are not necessarily beneficial to fitness. The extravagant tails of a male peacocks, the neck of a giraffe, and bright colored plumage of birds are attributes designed to maximize reproductive success. Muscularity, sexual dimorphism (general size difference between sexes), male beards, penis size, calculated fat storage (in the breasts and hips for women), and co-parenting are adaptations in humans explained through sexual selection: specifically, through competition. Natural and Sexual Selection are competing and paralleling factors that define human evolution. While Natural Selection may define the necessity to impart certain genes, Sexual Selection quickly allows adaptations to occur through competition. Evolution
Charles Darwin has had the greatest influence on the world by proving the evolution of living things. Charles Darwin had first noticed the similarities of plants and animals when he took a five-year cruise on the H.M.S. Beagle, which was available to him through a friend from school. During the cruise Charles Darwin started becoming interested with the similarities between the plants and animals that were similar on different islands with similar climates, so he decided to study them more closely.
Evolutionary framework for human mating is based on three elements. First, strategies for mating developed to solve specific problems in human evolutionary history. Second, people behave differently depending on the type of mating involved. There are two types of mating, short term and long term mating. Short term mating is defined as casual sex (i.e. one-night stands and brief affairs). Long term mating is seen as a committed relationship (i.e. dating, going steady, and marriage). Third, males and females developed different strategies due to the difference in problems they have had over the course of human evolution (Buss 241). This paper will examine those strategies specific to males.
Since the fateful day in September 1835, when Darwin first reached the Galapagos Islands, and thereafter began theorizing natural selection, evolution has been a hot topic of debate. Most novices to evolutionary biology believe natural selection, logically, is the driving force of evolution, but what many people forget is the complementary force sexual selection. Sexual selection, as opposed to natural selection, is the passing on of traits that help an organism mate rather than just survive, avoiding environmental dangers and finding food and shelter. Some of the most iconic sexual displays in the animal kingdom include the beautiful feathers of the peahen, the massive claw of the male fiddler crab, or simply becoming the alpha male or female
Charles Darwin, the English naturalist and geologist is attributed and accredited for his theory of evolution. His theory of evolution is based on the premise that strong heritable traits help individuals to survive in adverse and inimical environments.
On top of natural selection, Charles Darwin also brought to light the idea of sexual selection. Under sexual selection, sex is more important than life itself. There is a powerful urge to pass our genes on to the next generation in many mammals, even humans (1) Many times sexual selection trumps natural selection, where animals possess traits (such as exaggerated plumage or ornaments) that hinder survival but help them win mates against other males. Darwin figured this out and said “perseverance, strength and size of body, weapons of all kinds, musical organs, both vocal and instrumental, bright colors and ornamental appendages, have all been indirectly gained by the one sex or the other, through the exertion of choice, the influence of love
Sexual selection is choosing a mate based on a preference for certain characteristics. These preferences evolved to increase the probability of survival. Females are almost always the ones to make this choice while males compete for the opportunity to mate with females and pass on their genes. Over time, genes that indicate health have often become extravagant or excessive. The advantages of sexual reproduction rather than asexual reproduction are genetic diversity and the selection of the healthiest genes to pass on.
It also gave us an understanding that human nature is shared across all cultures through specific genetic causes including interest to gossip, status-seeking, and guilt. The Moral Animal by Robert Wright will examine the father of evolution, Charles Darwin, and will illustrative the power of evolutionary biology. Robert Wright takes an interesting route in the book by highlighting Darwin’s ideas on the topics of sex, love, social relations, and morality. He then goes on into current research about these specific topics.