Chaotic Traits of Evolution

Charles Darwin's theory of "descent with modification," as described in his On the Origin of Species, shares many characteristics with Edward Lorenz's theory of chaos. The idea that Charles Darwin propagated, that organisms adapt to their surroundings and change over time, had a significant impact on both the scientific community and the general public. Then, many years afterward, Edward Lorenz made many contributions and developments to the theory of chaos. Although Charles Darwin studied in the field of biology, Edward Lorenz's primarily mathematical works have numerous similarities with Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, or "descent with modification." Charles Darwin's theory of evolution can be understood as being sensitive dependent, deterministic, and nonperiodic, all of which are primary features of Edward Lorenz's theory of chaos.

Charles Darwin's carefully constructed description of evolution, "descent with modification," can be directly tied to Edward Lorenz's description of his butterfly effect, or "sensitive dependence on initial conditions." In his theory of evolution, Charles Darwin reasons that with the aid of natural selection, "every slight modification, which in the course of ages chanced to arise, and which in any way favoured the individuals of any of the species, by better adapting them to their altered conditions, would tend to be preserved" (Darwin 82). In other words, the changes that the organism undergoes are dependent on its environment. This "sensitive dependence on initial conditions," with the initial conditions provided by the organism's surroundings, matches Edward Lorenz's discussions of Chaos. His butterfly effect is in action as one small, changing feature of the environment can slowly, but surely, result in substantial changes for an organism. A great example of this effect can be witnessed with the Channa micropeltes, or the giant snakehead. This fish has been known to adapt to many different extremes in order to survive and thrive, including the acquisition to breathe air in order to travel from one body of water to another ("Giant Snakehead"). This leads to the idea that evolution may even be predictable, to a certain extent.

Since an organism makes direct adaptations to its environment, evolution can be understood, as Edward Lorenz would put it, as "deterministic." Charles Darwin's concept of natural selection allows an organism to change in order to survive given certain initial conditions. So, if an organism is abruptly relocated to a new environment with certain predetermined differences from its previous environment, it may be assumed that the creature will acquire the necessary changes to adapt to these particular differences. For instance, if a bird that normally thrives on small insects was suddenly placed in a new habitat where the main source of food was instead found inside a hard-shelled nut, the bird will surely adapt in some way or another. As a matter of fact, it can be assumed that its beak would have to change in order to open the nut more easily. Instead of just having to pick at the small insects, the bird may slowly adapt and acquire a harder, perhaps stronger beak in order to break open the nuts and reach the inside. In this way, the evolution of this bird can be understood to be generally "deterministic." However, predicting how the bird's beak would precisely change and adapt may not be entirely possible. It is known though, that there is no need for the bird's beak to change on a regular basis, but only when its environment requires it to.

Evolution can also be understood as "nonperiodic." If evolution really works as Charles Darwin describes it in his On the Origin of Species, changes in organisms only occur when they are needed in order to survive. An organism has no need to and will not "adapt" if there are no changes to adjust to. Instead, it will remain the same from generation to generation. "If the system [in this case, the organism] is stable, its future development will then remain arbitrarily close to its past history" (Lorenze 12). Therefore, it only adjusts when its environment does change, which is usually not a common occurrence on our planet. More notably, ecosystems do not change on a regular, or periodic basis. There is no predetermined span for which an ecosystem or habitat will remain unaltered. So, unless there is a major change in the environmental system, there are no modifications to the species that live in it. However, major environmental changes do occur on occasion. Volcanic eruptions, shifting of the earth's tectonic plates, and even meteorite crashes have affected some environments over history. It is in these rare, irregular cases where evolution can really be seen at work. Due to these sporadic changes in various environments, evolution is "nonperiodic," which is yet another critical trait of Edward Lorenz's theory of chaos.

Charles Darwin and Edward Lorenz are two scientists who have made large contributions to modern science with their developments of two very different theories. However, these two theories, on evolution and chaos, respectably, happen to share many similarities. Edward Lorenz, or the "father of Chaos," would see Charles Darwin's descriptions of evolution, or as he coined it to shy away from excessive criticism from the religious community, "decent with modification," to fall directly under his own description of chaos. The way in which an organism adjusts to its environments is a prime example of "sensitive dependence on initial conditions." In addition, Edward Lorenz's discussions of "deterministic nonperiodic flow" of complex systems can be compared to the predictability and general behavior of evolution. Predicting the changes an organism is bound to undergo may only be a matter of studying the certain changes of its environment. Similarly, if there is no change in the environment, which is usually the case, an organism has no need to adapt or change, proving evolution to be a nonperiodic and irregular cycle. Looking at these traits and similarities between the theories of Charles Darwin and Edward Lorenz with an open mind, it can be said that evolution is indeed chaotic, in terms of Edward Lorenz's depiction of chaos among complex systems.

Works Cited

"Charles Darwin." Wikipedia. 2009. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 13 Nov. 2009.

Darwin, Charles. On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. Prep. J. V. Wyhe. The Complete Works of Charles Darwin Online. 18 Oct. 2009. 13 Nov. 2009.

"Edward Norton Lorenz." Wikipedia. 2009. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 13 Nov. 2009.

"Giant Snakehead." Wikipedia. 2009. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 13 Nov. 2009.

Lorenz, Edward N. "Deterministic, Nonperiodic Flow." Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 20 (1963): 130-141. Print.