1. I believe that Alfred Russel Wallace was one of the biggest influences of Darwins' theory of evolution.
2. One of Wallaces greatest contribution to science was actually a theory of natural selection so similar to Darwins theory. So much so that their findings were both included in a paper that was published. Darwin and Wallace still had their differences though when it came to natural selection. Wallace believed that a changing environment forced species to adapt to their surroundings as opposed to Darwins survival of the fittest belief. Another strong contribution by Wallace was the theory of warning coloration in regards to animals. Wallace believed that one way animals adapted over time to avoid predators was this change in colors. Wallace first mentioned this theory when Darwin wrote to Wallace asking for help in understanding caterpillars color scheme.
3. If the environment changes, the traits that are helpful or adaptive to that environment will be different. Wallace and his research definitely showed how when environments change the plant and animal life change with it. The research that Wallace did showed that in the situation where an environment changes the newer generation of species with more adaptive traits would survive. The research Wallace was doing helped support the research that Darwin was doing at the time. Which showed that Darwin wasn't the only person with the same ideas.
4. At the time of Wallaces research Darwin was doing his own on natural selection. Without Wallace Darwin might have been able to finish his research and publish his findings. With Wallace, though, Darwin had someone he could ask questions to. Darwin had someone who could compare findings too as well as exchange notes. It's easy to say that without a doubt Wallace definitely played a big role in Darwins research
5. At the time of publication of On the Origin of Species many publications that reviewed the work were hostile towards Darwin and his findings. Darwin himself was mocked and ridiculed through his life. Not everyone was hostile towards Darwin though, many people saw Darwins work as genius and showed him great respect. So much so that at the time of his death public opinion was swaying in his favor. Darwin himself was religious up until his death.
Works Cited:
http://people.wku.edu/charles.smith/wallace/S043.htm
http://people.wku.edu/charles.smith/wallace/S020.htm
http://darwin200.christs.cam.ac.uk/pages/index.php?page_id=e6
I really had not thought about the idea of Wallace being an influence on Darwin because I thought of him as more of a competitor of Darwin. You make an interesting point and obviously researched Wallace further than what was in our text. I did not know that they were simultaneously recognized in a publication.
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ReplyDeleteWhile I agree that Wallace absolutely had an impact, I do believe that it was more in the capacity of a catalyst rather than someone who profoundly influenced the formation of Darwin's theory of Natural Selection. Darwin started working on his theory in the 1830's, after his voyage on the HMS Beagle. He did not come into contact with Wallace's work until 1858, according to the references below. If you have other information I am interested. Anyway, by the time Wallace and Darwin came in contact, Darwin's theory had been in the works for nearly 20 years.
ReplyDeleteReference:
http://bertie.ccsu.edu/darwinevol/DarwinTimeLine.html
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/history_14
Edited for typos.
Thanks for the new sources! I felt that with Wallace, Darwin had someone to actually discuss his ideas with. Even after those 20 years Darwin still had some questions and he asked Wallace what his opinion was on those questions. I picked Wallace because I felt that he was actually there assisting Darwin towards the end of his research.
DeleteHere are some the letters they wrote to each other:
http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?itemID=F1593&viewtype=image&pageseq=116
"Wallace believed that a changing environment forced species to adapt to their surroundings as opposed to Darwins survival of the fittest belief."
ReplyDelete??? This is the same thing. The term "survival of the fittest" is the short (and not completely accurate) way of stating that organisms with traits better able to compete in a given environment will have more offspring and spread those traits faster. Both Wallace and Darwin proposed exactly the same theory of natural selection.
And it isn't a "belief". It is a theory. Remember this is a science class and terminology matters.
While I agree with your choice of bullet points, isn't it also fair to say that ALL of the bullet points apply equally to Wallace and Darwin.
Yes, by the time Wallace came on the scene, Darwin had been working on his theory for more than 20 years. It is fair to say that he developed it without Wallace. I agree that Wallace provided Darwin with a sounding board for his ideas and material for supporting evidence. But perhaps the most important role Wallace took on with the kick in the pants Darwin needed to finally publish his work. Without Wallace, Darwin may never have raised enough courage to publish on his own. (Kathryn refers to this in her comment above.)
"Darwin himself was mocked and ridiculed through his life."
I'm not familiar with this. Which source provides this?
The final point doesn't ask about how the work was received but how the church influenced Darwin's decision to publish in the first place. Why did Darwin delay publishing for more than 20 years? What where his concerns?