Inheritance By Darwin
Inheritance carries evolution forward, theoretically, and is the second topic in the V.I.S.T.A. acronym (Variation, Inheritance, Selection, Time, Adaptation) developed by Niles Eldredge of the American Museum of Natural History to describe the mechanisms of Charles Darwin’s theory – the second of the five pillars of natural selection. In 1837, Darwin drew his first tree of life sketch (pictured left), nearly twenty years before the Origin of Species.
Knowing Darwin’s mechanisms of inheritance is essential for understanding his theory since inheritance plays a “chief part” in natural selection. As Darwin explains in the Origin of Species –
“The most important consideration is that the chief part of the organisation of every being is simply due to inheritance.”
