Darwin better understood the mechanism for natural selection after he read a book by Thomas Robert Malthus on the rate of growth of populations.
Malthus was an English economist who was concerned with the implications of high population growth. He argued that once the human population outstrip the availability of food and resources, there would start a phase of struggle in which only those with better capabilities and means would survive.
Darwin, after returning from his voyage, read Malthus' work and connected it with his observation of nature. He thought in a similar vein that trait differences in the wildlife population means that those better adapted to the struggles of living in the wild would have a greater chance of survival and procreation.
Ultimately, these survival traits would compound, leading to the evolution of newer species. This provided the basis for Darwn’s influential theory of natural selection.
To learn more about Darwin's theory of natural selection: brainly.com/question/14546204
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