My Year of Darwin 10/28/2014: There must be some beneficial mutations

"I think it would be a most extraordinary fact if no variation ever had occurred useful to each being's own welfare." Charles Darwin, Origin of Species 1st edition (on Kindle)

I heard it leveled by creationists that no beneficial mutations have ever been documented. Logically this seems absurd if we consider that the environment is constantly changing and if organisms were created perfectly for their environment then they must change (the population - not any particular individual) to persist in a new environment. 

Snowy Egret from Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (aka Brigantine)

My Year of Darwin 5/29/2014: Darwin summarizes the situation in the Galapagos

 

"But it is the circumstance that several of the islands possess their own species of the tortoise, mocking-thrush, finches, and numerous plants, these species having the same general general habits, occupying analogous situations, and obviously filling the same place in the natural economy of this archipelago, that strikes me with wonder" Charles Darwin, Voyage of the Beagle

Yes, why would be their separate, but related species, living on islands so close together? If you were a creationist (and that species were created) that would mean each island required a series of creations (no wonder He needed a break). I doubt very much, even so early in Darwin's career, that we was of such a mind set. More likely, he was already thinking they evolved. But how? 

My Year of Darwin 5/27/2014: Galapagos Islands - so close yet far enough

 

"I have not as yet noticed by far the most remarkable feature in the natural history of this archipelago; it is, that the different islands to a considerable extent are inhabited by a different set of beings. My attention was first called to this fact by the Vice-Governor, Mr. Lawson, declaring that the tortoises differed from the different islands, and that he could with certainty tell from which island any one was brought. I did not for some time pay sufficient attention to this statement, and I had already partially mingled together the collections from two of the islands. I never dreamed that islands, about 50 or 60 miles apart, and most of them in sight of each other, formed precisely the same rocks, placed under a quite similar climate, rising to a nearly equal height, would have been differently tenanted; but we shall soon see that this is the case."  Charles Darwin, Voyage of the Beagle

Each of the largest islands has a set of organisms that are largely not found on the other islands. The first example presented is that the governor could identify the origin of a tortoise from the shape of the shell. But there are more as Darwin hints and I'll let him tell the rest.

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Celebrated 45th birthday yesterday. It was nice. Wife gave me the Game of Thrones book series. 

My Year of Darwin 5/22/2014: Maybe... just maybe... evolution

 

"One might really fancy that from an original paucity of birds in this archipelago, one species had been taken and modified for different ends"  Charles Darwin, Voyage of the Beagle

So phylogenetics tells us that this scenario is most likely true; a population of finches composed of a single species flew out to the Galapagos and speciated into twelve or thirteen new species. Interesting that Darwin chose the phrase "had been taken" and not just "flew" or "found their way". Wish we could ask. 

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Rain today so not field work. Staying home and working on a poster for the joint Wilson Ornithological Society - Association of Field Ornithologist meeting. Wish I could find that data from 2004!  

Wishing you a great day reader. 

My Year of Darwin 5/19/2014: Psst.... I'm thinking about evolution

 

"Considering the small size of these islands, we feel the more astonished at the number of their aboriginal being, and at their confined range. Seeing every height crowned with its crator, and the boundaries of most of the lava-streams still distinct, we are led to believe that within a period geologically recent the unbroken ocean was here spread out. Hence, both in space and time, we seem to be brought somewhat near to that great fact - that mystery of mysteries - the first appearance of new beings on this earth." Charles Darwin, Voyage of the Beagle 

This is, I believe, Darwin's first explicit statement that he was interested in the origin of species (lower case is intentional). Earlier in the Voyage, in a footnote, Darwin says "This is merely an illustration of the admirable laws, first laid down by Mr. Lyell, on the geographical distribution of animals, as influenced by geological changes. The whole reasoning of course, is founded on the assumption of the immutability of species; otherwise the differences in species in the two regions might be considered as superinduced during a length of time." 

Exceedingly profound thought - in a footnote. C'mon Darwin. I understand; get the evidence but in these two passages, Darwin is pointing out where he is going and where his thoughts are.

My Year of Darwin 5/4/2014: The point of that birds is?

"When finding, as in this case, animals which seem to play so insignificant a part in the great scheme of nature, one is apt to wonder why they were created. But it should be recollected, that in some other country perhaps they are essential of society, or at some former period may have been so."  Charles Darwin,Voyage of the Beagle

At the time Darwin was on the Beagle, we was probably a creationist in the sense of organisms being created as we see them today by God, even if that time was in the deep past. 

I think it is a common conception in human society that every organism plays some important crucial part, perhaps even to the benefit of humans, in ecology. I'm not sure where this concept comes from - theologically or scientifically. I could see where you could argue that, since God said it was good, it is worthy of preservation. Unfortunately, this is by far the minority opinion of the religious people. Scientifically (a horrible term), every species does something - as it must. But extinctions are the overwhelming fate of species and life has gone on. 

But I do appreciate the attitude that all animals (and plants and fungi and protists and bacteria) play some part and this is a much better attitude than nothing matters (which we do see in some people).