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SUMMARY:Evolution of Darwin’s Finches: the role of genetics\, ecology an
 d behaviour - Professor Rosemary Grant FRS\, Princeton University
DTSTART:20111012T170000Z
DTEND:20111012T183000Z
UID:TALK30282@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Clare Kitcat
DESCRIPTION:Darwin’s visit to the Galápagos Archipelago in 1835 lasted 
 a mere five weeks\; yet his\nobservations during that time played a pivota
 l role in the formation of his theory of\nEvolution by means of Natural Se
 lection. Since then the particulate basis of\ninheritance has been discove
 red and the escalating field of genetics has transformed\nour understandin
 g of evolution. Much less is understood about the actual method of\nspecie
 s formation\, how one species splits into two\, a fundamental evolutionary
  feature\nthat is key to the generation of the diversity of organisms we s
 ee in the fossil record and\naround us today. One hundred and thirty-eight
  years after Darwin’s visit to the\nGalápagos\, we returned to these is
 lands to begin an investigation into evolution as a\nprocess\, and extend 
 our understanding into the way species are formed. A long-term\nstudy of t
 he genetics\, ecology and behaviour of the closely related group of Darwin
 ’s\nfinches has given us windows into the steps involved in the speciati
 on process\, and\nallowed us to identify important causal factors. In this
  talk I will highlight our findings\,\nand show how they can be generalize
 d to other organisms. I will conclude with our most\nrecent and exciting d
 iscovery of the formation of a new lineage of finches\, which we\nhave fol
 lowed from its inception for over six generations. Thus\, revealing how a 
 new\nspecies can be formed in a few decades of contemporary time.
LOCATION:Yusuf Hamied Centre\, Christ's College
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