CAS BI 108 Chapter Notes - Chapter 22: Selective Breeding, Natural Selection, Biogeography
Document Summary
A darwinian view of life: changes in the genetic composition of a population from generation to generation lead to the modification of ancestral species that were different from the present day species. This descent with modification is called evolution, a phrase darwin used. The darwinian revolution challenged traditional views of a young. Earth inhabited by unchanging species: after careful observations and analyzing the nature, aristotle recognized specific affinities among organisms. Scala naturae, a ladder pattern was proposed by him and he allotted same rung on his ladder to the form of life, perfect & permanent: fossils gave a glimpse of some of that organisms and how evolution occurred. Cuvier observed that moving from one fossil layer to other some new species appeared while others disappeared. He agreed the phenomenon of extinctions but opposed the idea of evolution. Descent with modification by natural selection explains the adaptations of organisms and the unity and diversity of life.
