BIOL 3200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Her Majesty'S Ship, Popular Science, Ernst Haeckel
Document Summary
Lecture 12: the struggle for existence, there can be excessive reproduction of organisms, there are ecological checks to prevent rapid population growth. Variations allow for evolution, but overproduction/overpopulation would create struggle for existence b/c of competition. Darwin said that for a slow-breeding man who doubles in number in 25 years (has a child), in a few thousand years there would not be enough standing room for his progeny on earth. However, this can be avoided b/c there are checks on population growth. There will always be competition between groups, and the environment would be suited to favour the reproduction of certain species at the expense of others. Once new varieties of groups appear, they take part in competition. These groups wins or lose depending on whether the differences between them and their ancestors are favour their proliferation or not. Darwin predict competition would be strongest between most closely related individuals because they would require similar resources.
