Editing Island (section)

=== Darwin, the Galápagos, and natural selection ===
[[Charles Darwin]] formulated the theory of [[natural selection]] through the study of island ecology.<ref name=":27" /> The species he observed on the [[Galápagos Islands]], including tanager birds, contributed to his understanding of how evolution works.<ref>{{Cite web |last=MacPherson |first=Rick |date=February 6, 2017 |title=Darwin's Islands |url=https://www.americanscientist.org/article/darwins-islands |access-date=July 11, 2024 |website=American Scientist |language=en}}</ref> He first traveled to the islands as a [[naturalist]] on [[HMS Beagle]] in 1835, as part of a five-year [[circumnavigation]] of Earth. He wrote that "the different islands to a considerable extent are inhabited by a different set of beings".<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last1=Magazine |first1=Smithsonian |last2=Helmuth |first2=Laura |title=Evolution World Tour: Galápagos Islands, Ecuador |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/evolution-world-tour-galapagos-islands-ecuador-5974755/ |access-date=July 14, 2024 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}</ref> Through the study of the finches and other animals he realized that organisms survive by changing to adapt to their habitat.<ref name=":22" /> It would be over twenty years before he published his theories in ''[[On the Origin of Species]]''.<ref name=":31">{{Cite web |last=Stix |first=Gary |date=January 1, 2009 |title=Darwin's Living Legacy--Evolutionary Theory 150 Years Later |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/darwins-living-legacy/ |access-date=July 14, 2024 |website=Scientific American |language=en}}</ref>