Charles Darwin, the founder of evolution and probably the most well known name in the history of science. He is credited for his research on the Galápagos Islands, regarding a type of finch and beak size. On each of the different islands, he noticed that the finches had different beak characteristics depending on their diet which varied from seeds to insects. In the end, he hypothesized that all of the birds had come from one bird that came from South America and through adaptation and natural selection, the one bird eventually diversified into multiple birds. He’s the person who came up with the theory of evolution via natural selection — the most widely applied and accepted theory even in the modern day.
Darwin was also credited for saying one hilarious quote. In a letter he wrote, he said “I care more about Drosera than the origin of all the species in the world” which, for those who don’t know, Drosera is a genus of carnivorous plants that look like a feather duster that said, “Screw the feathers, give me some mucilage that traps and digests insects in one go!” The mucilage is a sticky secretion by the plant that looks like dew and attracts insects by giving off a fruity, floral scent. It is also, surprisingly sweet in some species.
Darwin took a long sea voyage on the HMS Beagle that allowed him to sail along the coasts of various continents and disembark on said continents to explore. After journeying and coming up with the theory of evolution, Darwin compiled a book titled “The Origin of Species” which is a fascinating read and still relevant to the current day. His work was banned in various universities of the time and Tennessee had banned anyone teaching evolution until 1967. Way to go America.
Applied Plant Ecology Winter 2020 