Evolutionary biology

Evolutionary Biology

Illustration of Darwin's finches by John Gould

Evolutionary biology is a subfield of biology that studies the processes that produced the diversity of life on Earth. It encompasses the study of the origin of species from a common descent, and the descent of species, as well as their change, multiplication, and diversity over time.

History

The field of evolutionary biology emerged in the 19th century with the work of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, who independently proposed the theory of natural selection as a mechanism for evolution. Darwin's seminal work, "On the Origin of Species", published in 1859, laid the foundation for modern evolutionary studies.

Key Concepts

Natural Selection

Natural selection is the process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. This concept is central to the theory of evolution and was first articulated by Charles Darwin.

Genetic Drift

Genetic drift refers to random changes in the frequency of alleles in a population. It is a mechanism of evolution that can lead to significant changes in a population over time, especially in small populations.

Speciation

Speciation is the evolutionary process by which populations evolve to become distinct species. It involves the splitting of a single evolutionary lineage into two or more genetically independent lineages.

Phylogenetics

Phylogenetics is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among individuals or groups of organisms. These relationships are discovered through molecular sequencing data and morphological data matrices.

Darwin's Finches

Darwin's finches are a group of about fifteen species of passerine birds found on the Galápagos Islands. They are well known for their remarkable diversity in beak form and function, which has been a classic example of adaptive radiation. The illustration by John Gould (shown on the right) depicts the diversity of these finches, which played a crucial role in the development of Darwin's theory of natural selection.

Related Pages

• Charles Darwin
• Natural selection
• Speciation
• Phylogenetics
• Genetic drift