What are the key concepts in the evolution theory of Darwin?
The two prominent concepts in the evolutionary theory of Darwin are natural selection and branching descent.
Natural Selection: All living beings adapt to changing environmental conditions by developing useful adaptations. Organisms, which can survive the changes, will produce more progenies and thereby maintain their lineage. Nature selects only those who are fit to survive, leaving behind the rest to perish. Therefore, we can conclude that natural selection plays an important role in evolution.
Branching Descent: Branching descent follows the popular premise that all life forms are branched from a common origin. This is often referred to as the "Tree of Life" illustrated in the following diagram.
Fishes and Amphibians have a common ancestor. Amphibians have been considered as ancestors to other land animals such as reptiles, mammals and even birds.
Darwin used various proofs to show that living beings have evolved from a common ancestor through branching.