Darwin's Finches | Darwin's Revolutionary Breakthrough On Evolution

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin%27s_finches

Charles Darwin is one of the most widely known scientists around the globe. Charles Darwin made a major step in the realization of evolution and helped us get to where we are, right now, in our studies of it. Without him, we wouldn't know a lot about evolution. Darwin started to come up with the theory of evolution, whilst on his stay in the Galapagos islands. Darwin discovered different species of finches, all very similar, but with different beaks and adaptations. They were different shapes, sizes and differently adapted, but all could have shared a common ancestor. So, why were they so different. The more that Charles Darwin looked into this, the more he found. Darwin used his finches to come with yet another amazing discovery. For Darwin also came up with the basics of the process of natural selection. Darwin found that each beak was different from the other. On islands with lots of rainfall, islands that produced a lot of new soft seeds, smaller beaks were the popular trait. The dominant trait. But on islands that were drier, and produced less, older and harder nuts, the larger beaks were more common. This has to cause some wonder on why, if they were all from the same common ancestor, did they have different beaks. This is because of natural selection. This meant that the finches, all on different islands, started to see changes. For instance, one island gets a ton of rain for ten straight years. Many of the smaller-beaked birds are finding it easier to get food. This soon becomes the growing trait. Since the island can't hold millions of these birds, the birds with the trait that is not needed, starts to die off. Eventually, we are left with the smaller-beaked finches. Another example would be on an island with a drought. The seeds are too tough for the small beaks of the smaller-beaked finches, to break open and eat. But the larger-beaked finches find it easy to open the tough, large seeds. The smaller-beaked finches start to die of hunger, while the larger-beaked finches become more popular and continue to reproduce. Eventually, the smaller beaked trait, dies out and we are left with the big beaked trait. There is a lot of stuff that we can learn from the world around us, we just have to look. Charles Darwin looked in the right place at the right time and discovered something truly amazing, something groundbreaking. He discovered the beginnings of evolution.

S&EP
SP3: Conducting Investigations

Charles Darwin's theory was a very complex one. The theory of evolution has many different pieces and parts that must go together to make the picture whole. I conducted an experiment on the many pieces and parts that went into Darwin's discovery of such a life-changing cycle that happens in front of our eyes. I investigated the difference and evolution of Darwin's finches and came to the conclusion that the finches had adapted to become a better fit for their environment. This along with the process of natural selection made the finches what they are today, and gave us our knowledge of evolution.

XCC

XCC: Stability and Change

Change happens all around you. leaves change color, people change age, seasons pass by and organisms grow. But somehow, our world stays stable. The change not being able to throw Earth off. Just like evolution. Evolution is a change in the gene pool after a long period of time. Change in the gene pool. This change helps the organism become more stable in their environment and situation. It helps to keep the organism from toppling off of its stand, into total chaos. Evolution is the change that allows stability of a species to be possible. We evolved from apes but were able to stay stable and alive. With the help of evolution, we are where we are today. We are who we are today. Without stability and change, our world would be plain and boring. Nothing new and a big old mess. We take change in different ways, depending on who we are, how big it is and how much it affects us, our lives and our feelings. But we always seem to let little things pass by, and not notice the things and cycles and process within them. Keeping them changing and stable.