Yulong Zeng HPS 0437 Writing Assignment #1 Prompt 3 Charles Darwin uses the analogy between artificial selection

in breeding and natural selection to help bridge the gap between the distinctions of species and varieties. The general consensus at the time was to accept that there were many different species and they were all created separately. Also, there was also the belief that species can be affected by their surrounding environment causing them to physically adapt, but never turning into a different species. This led to the disputes about what was a specie and what was a variety. Darwins theory of evolution and his analogy between artificial selection in breeding and natural selection helps to create a bridge allowing a more concrete way of establishing definitions for species and varieties. The analogy allowed Darwin to establish his theory of natural selection. Although this theory was backed by Darwins research and arguments, it challenged a previously established consensus; therefore, natural selection was subject to many objections for analogizing domestic breeding to the theory of natural selection. In Darwins theory of natural selection, he states how its progressions mimic that of artificial selection. In artificial selection, it is the domestic breeder who has control over which characteristics or traits to prevail. The selection process will proceed in the direction of the breeder. Using domestic breeding as a template, Darwin goes on to suggest how different/new species come from common ancestors. Like domestic breeding, certain traits will prevail over other traits. The direction of selection in this case is determined by nature itself. Nature will decide which characteristics or traits are more suitable for the species given environment.

Over all these causes of Change I am convinced that the accumulative action of Selection, whether applied methodically and more quickly, or unconsciously and more slowly, but more efficiently, is by far the predominant Power.(p.43, Darwin)

In Chapter one of the Origin, Darwin brings up his argument of the time factor for natural selection. People against natural selection brings up the point that although variations within a species is seen in domestic breeding, there are no changes such that the offspring can be considered a new species. A breeder can breed many generations of a certain species and create a large spectrum of differences and varieties within the offspring. However, the inner organs and biological components will not change.

No man would ever try to make a fantail, till he saw a pigeon with a tail developed in some slight degree in an unusual manner, (p.39, Darwin)

Darwins response to this objection suggests that small incremental changes will add up and the net change will seem huge given a large enough time frame: large enough to create new species. Darwin suggests that natural selection can be labeled as unconscious selection for the prevailing traits since each successive generation isnt dependent on what the observer wants to see. It is solely judged by how the trait fairs in nature. Hence, unconscious selection should unsurprisingly be slower than that of methodic/artificial selection in breeding. Therefore, a different species wont arise if the generations of offspring are compared on a microscopic scale. One needs to extrapolate and from a macroscopic scale, it is clear that natural selection can

produce the same effects of artificial selection. When the time factor is applied to the effects of natural selection, one can see that variations on a large enough time scale can produce results that can concur with the preaching of Darwins theory of natural selection. Personally, I think Darwins analogy of artificial and natural selection is a great one. The analogy helps solve two problems dealing with natural history. The most important one being: Where do species arise from? From the theory of natural selection, millions of species are merely descendants of a common ancestor. Backed with Darwins responses to the critics, the pieces of fossils and different species of animals seem to fall into place. Darwins analogy helps sort out the second problem dealing with the differentiation of species and variety. Omitting the analogy and Darwins theory of natural selection, different naturalists had different views on what should be considered a species and what should simply be considered a variety of the same species. This proved to be a truly difficult task especially since the general consensus was that all species were products of a creator. Therefore, all species are of original ancestry. They might vary due to environmental tampers, but will never evolve into a different species. Darwins theory of evolution through natural selection tidies up the mess created by the former definitions of specie and variation. If many species are simply descendants of other species, a naturalist or observer can more easily decide on a common definition since the animals are sorted into their respective evolution branches. When all animals are properly organized, the specie to variation spectrum is more easily visible to a naturalist. Therefore, Darwins analogy of artificial and natural selection not only helped the distinction problem; it also provided biologists with an Occams Razor for the origins of the animals of the Earth.

Sources: Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of Species. Translated John Murray. 1859. <http://darwinonline.org.uk/content/frameset?viewtype=side&itemID=F373&pageseq=1>