Charles Darwin's Four Postulates
José Gerardo Sada
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859)
Charles Darwin used these four postulates to support his thesis on his book "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection". The four postulates are as follows:
(1) Individuals within species are variable
(2) Some of these variations are passed on to offspring
(3) In every generation, more offspring are produced than can survive
(4) The survival and reproduction of individuals are not random: Individuals who survive and go on to reproduce are those with the most favorable variation.
They are naturally selected
Individuals within species are variable
First, several geologists, economists and even biologists had started to suggest evolution in all their fields. But what really helped Darwin in his thoughts are… Dogs! By carefully mixing dogs with specific features to reproduce themselves, breeders had managed to seemingly create new species. This phenomenon, along with the diversity of pigeons, convinced Darwin of the evolution of life!
Some of these Variations are passed on to offspring
Darwin postulated that life evolves by natural selection. Species can undergo drastic transformation, as they have all evolved from the simplest species in the tree of life, including humans who evolved from apes. This simplest species has appeared on its own.
In every generation, more offspring are produced than can survive
An example that people can relate to appears on the Pixar movie Finding Nemo, where Nemo's parents placed over 400 eggs and only Nemo survived. So by placing more eggs the chance of having a successful offspring development increases.
The survival and reproduction of individuals are not random: Individuals who survive and go on to reproduce are those with the most favorable variation.
Small insects who reproduce and complete their life cycle in a short amount of time are an example of adaptation and survival due to their favorable variations that leads them to reproduce and pass on newer and fitter genes.
Bibliography
Hoang, N. L. (2012). Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Retrieved April 07, 2016, from http://www.science4all.org/article/darwins-theory-of-evolution/
Taylor, M. B. (n.d.). EVOLUTION/LECTURE1. Retrieved April 7, 2016, from http://bioserv.fiu.edu/ortegaj/CHAPTER3_DARWIN_SPR.pdf