Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin trip to Marimurtra

Marimurtra is a journey

Visiting the Marimurtra Botanical Garden is, in a way, taking a tour of the Earth. The experiences and observations made by Charles Darwin (1809-1882) during the voyage of the HMS Beagle are what led him to postulate the theory of evolution in 1859.

A revolutionary theory that contradicted all the views of those times – which said that life on Earth was static and unchanging -, exposing that the world of living beings is in constant transformation.

Marimurtra invites you to get closer to the experiences of the British naturalist, exploring the places he visited and the phenomena he observed. Travel around the Earth with Darwin through five points of Marimurtra, where you can discover the evidence and key principles on which he founded the theory of evolution.

The trip on board the HMS Beagle

In 1831, at just 22 years old, Charles Darwin embarked on the HMS Beagle, a voyage that would change his life and the history of science. Captain FitzRoy needed a naturalist to study the flora, fauna and geology of the South American coast, and although the initial choice was John Stevens Henslow, Darwin was eventually recommended as an enthusiastic candidate. During the voyage, his capacity for observation captivated the captain and Darwin ended up assuming the role of chief naturalist.

The analyzes of specimens and data

Five years after the adventure began, Charles Darwin returned with a valuable collection of specimens and a huge volume of data. What followed was another journey: years spent processing, discussing and maturing the ideas, often with other naturalists such as Alfred Russel Wallace, who co-authored the theory. Finally, his conclusions saw the light in The Origin of Species (1859), 23 years after his return from the Beagle voyage.

The postulation of the theory

The “Theory of Evolution” revolutionized the world of biology and had a major impact on the understanding of the diversity of life on Earth, changing the scientific and cultural paradigm of those times. It is known that traveling the world helps us open our minds and it opened Darwin so much that he dared to contradict all the theories of the time, providing evidence and arguments that defend a changing, adaptable and diverse world.

Evidence of the THEORY OF EVOLUTION in MARIMURTRA

1. Variability and heritability:

Individuals of the same species are not exactly alike. These differences, the variability, are passed down from generation to generation. Individuals who inherit advantageous traits have a better chance of surviving and reproducing by keeping those traits.

📍Example in Marimurtra: CICADALS area

Species(es): Cycas revoluta

2. Adaptation:

Living beings are adapted to the place they live in because advantageous traits are maintained and accumulated. This mechanism is known as natural selection and is the driving force behind the evolution of species. The two phenomena that helped Darwin understand the adaptation and evolution of species are evolutionary convergence and divergence.

📍Example in Marimurtra of Adaptation: Mirador de Fric.

Species(es): Euphorbia ingens / Echinopsis atacamensis

3. Artificial selection and natural selection

After his journey, Darwin reflected on the world of agriculture and animal husbandry and carried out selective breeding experiments with plants and animals. He was able to verify how artificially the traits passed on to the offspring can be selected.

📍 Example in Marimurtra of Adaptation: Ecological vegetable garden.

Species(es):

  • Pumpkin: Cucurbita maxima
  • Chilli: Capsicum annuum
  • Hanging tomato: Solanum pimpinellifolium
  • Butterfly: Biston betularia

4. Fossil record

The great challenge for Darwin was to move from seeing nature as a static reality to understanding it as a constantly evolving process. This process of transformation is slow and studying the fossil record was crucial to understanding that nature is constantly transforming.

📍Example in Marimurtra: Camí de les araucarias.

Species(es):  Araucaria araucana

5. The voyage of the HMS Beagle

The captain of the HMS Beagle, Robert FitzRoy, was looking for a naturalist to make scientific observations and collect samples of flora, fauna and minerals during the expedition. What he didn’t know was that his decision to take Darwin on board would forever change the way he understood the world.

📍Example in Marimurtra: Plaça de Lloret.