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Charles DarwinCharles Darwin is the Naturalist credited with theory of the evolution of life on earth. This theory is also known as "Natural Selection". In 1831, Darwin began a voyage as an unpaid naturalist observer onboard the survey ship, HMS Beagle, on a scientific expedition around the world. The HMS Beagle was captained by Captain Robert Fitzroy, who was later to be appointed as New Zealand's second Governor-General. This voyage gave Darwin the opportunity to observe a wide range of different plants and animals around the world, and to see how they were had adapted to their environment. The place which proved to have the greatest significance to Darwin was the Galapagos Islands, located off the coast of Ecuador. Here, there were several islands which were close to one another, but each had slightly different environmental conditions. Darwin was able to observe how several closely related species of plants and animals had adapted differently on the different islands – resulting in each island having its own variation of species. Having already read several theories about the earth's environment undergoing constant change, and competition between resources affecting development, Darwin came up with his theory of Evolution and "Natural Selection". Darwin's theory begins by saying that plants and animals are always competing for food and other resources to survive. Plants and animals which are better able to obtain these resources are more likely to prosper and reproduce, whereas the plants and animals that have difficulty getting resources will have less offspring and are more likely to become extinct over time. Therefore, if an animal is born that has a slight advantage over other animals (perhaps it is a bird with better camouflage, so that it can escape predators) then it is more likely to have offspring, and therefore next generation of that species is also more likely to also have this trait. One aspect of this theory which caused great debate was Darwin's suggestion that "natural selection" was the way in which all life on earth had developed, and that all life on earth had common ancestors. Essentially, he said that man had descended from apes and, before that, our ancestors were another much simpler form of life. Many people refused to believe that mankind had such humble beginnings, and openly attacked Darwin's theories. Darwin also received criticism from people with strong religious beliefs because his theories did not agree with the creationist doctrine taught by the Church. However, Darwin's theories have now become widely accepted and have been expanded as a result of further scientific discoveries. Charles Darwin wasn't the only person to come up with the theory of evolution. Another Englishman, Alfred Russel Wallace, came up with a very similar theory at the same time, and corresponded closely with Darwin. Instead of arguing over who would get credit for the discovery, both men chose to present their theories to the world at the same time. Hence, both Darwin and Wallace presented their ideas at a meeting of the Linnaean Society in London on the same night in 1858. When asked afterwards about who came up with the ideas, each gave the other the credit.
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