The Observability of Natural Selection
The key component of Charles Darwin’s outline of the evolution of species lies in theory of the process of natural selection. Although not his term, this process has over time come to be synonymous with “survival of the fittest.” In other words, the species are most fit to deal with changes in the world around them are the ones most likely to survive and pass on their genes to future generations. The problem for those still looking for “proof” of Darwin’s theories has been natural selection is process that moves so slowly the cause and effect cannot be witnessed in action.
The book pursues a thematic debunking of this assumed reality with its suggestion that finches of the book’s title which inhabit the Galapagos Islands actually exist under circumstances and conditions which essentially make it possible to watch natural selection taking place in real time. Extrapolating the idea that such rapid examples of natural selection cannot possibly be limited solely to these particular finches means, thematically speaking, that it must be applicable in ways perhaps not yet even considered.
“Black Mutants”
The now-famous story of the evolution of months in Manchester, England in response to the Industrial Revolution has become one of the centerpieces of the emphasis on human contribution to altering the natural process of life on earth. The story relates how moths which had always been white with blacks spots were evolving into black moths in habitats near factories whereas the very same species remained unchanged in habitats unaffected by factory pollutant into the air. Natural selection in this case was directly being impacted by the actions of human beings as the “black mutants” were adapting to the soot-stained surroundings simply as a matter of survival. White moths on black backgrounds don’t stay white moths before long; they become dinner for predators.
Everything’s Connected
The “butterfly effect” posits that one tiny fluctuation in the natural course of events on one side of the globe can create a chain of events which is ultimately responsible for devastating disaster on the opposite side of the plant. The “black mutant” moth evolution of early mid-1800’s are inextricably connected in a way that is sort of like the butterfly effect to concerns about global warming causing devastating floods by the middle of the 21st century. Just as industrialization which created factories that spewed filth into the atmosphere was responsible for otherwise quite unlikely change in the evolutionary course of the white moths with black spots, so is very same industrialization responsible for rising global temperatures.
The author explores how perfectly normal natural disasters and climate phenomena have always impacted evolutionary change in various ways so it is only to be expected that changes to the normalcy of these catastrophic natural events is bound to alter that course as well. And due the very fact that the normalcy has been impacted by human interference, that consequences of these alterations will be far more difficult to predict or prepare for.
