Final answer:
Charles Darwin sought to understand the diversity of life by asking why organisms differ, why they are similar, and why there are so many types. His observations on the HMS Beagle, particularly of Galápagos finches, influenced his theory of evolution by natural selection, focusing on the survival and reproductive success of organisms with favorable variations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Charles Darwin, the English naturalist, asked himself a series of fundamental questions that drove his research into the diversity of life. These questions included:
- Why are organisms different?
- Why are organisms similar?
- Why are there so many different types of organisms?
Darwin's journey on the HMS Beagle was pivotal in shaping his ideas on evolution. Observing species like the Galápagos finches, which had variations suited to their environment, led him to conceive the theory of evolution by natural selection. He noticed that even within a similar group of species, there were individuals with small but significant differences that affected their survival, such as beak shapes suited to their specific feeding needs. This observation, along with his understanding of artificial selection in domesticated species and the work of other scientists like Lamarck, Lyell, and Malthus, enabled Darwin to realize that favorable variations would be naturally selected for, allowing those organisms to survive and pass on these traits to their offspring. This led to the concept of fitness, which describes an organism's ability to survive and reproduce, laying the foundation for the theory of natural selection.