2. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
• Born August 1, 1744 in
Bazentin-le-Petit, France
• Early evolutionist
• Opposed Darwin’s theory
of evolution
• Lamarckism: theory of
evolution - species evolve
by inheriting characteristics
acquired by use and disuse
of body parts.
3. Lamarckism
• Simple life forms evolving into complex species
o Improving towards perfection
• First Rule: Use and Disuse
• Second Rule: All changes in the body were inheritable
• Species would adapt to the environment
1. Change in behavior
2. Modification of organs
3. Offspring inherits improved characteristics
4. Use and Disuse
• Environment requires
excessive use of an organ
organ becomes bigger (eg.
Giraffe necks)
• Environment does not require
use of an organ organs
shrinks and disappears (eg.
Penguin wings)
5. Lamarckism vs. Darwinism
• Lamarckism:
characteristics are
gained/lost/modified
to suit environment
• Darwinism: natural
selection
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HBdxDB
qfHc
7. Charles Lyell
• Born on November 14th
1797 in Scotland
• Geologist
• Friend of Darwin’s
• “The present is the key
to the past”
8. Lyell’s Theories
• Advocated “Uniformitarianism”
o theory that states that the earth changes slowly over time
• The Earth has always changed in the same way
• “It makes sense to assume that geological
processes acting in the past were much the same
as those we see today – forces such as
sedimentation in rivers, erosion by wind, or
deposition of ash and lava by volcanic eruptions.”
- Charles Lyell
9. Uniformitarianism vs. Catastrophism
• His opinions differed
from the
“Catastrophism” theory
• Catastrophism: the
belief that any
changes that
happened to the earth
were abrupt.
• Catastrophism – Noah’s
Flood
Geological Cross-section of the Sidlaw Hills, Strathmore, and the
Grampains by Charles Lyell
10. Lamarck vs. Lyell
• In a way, Lyell’s theories (though geological as
opposed to biological) were the opposite of
Lamarck’s theories.
Lamarck Lyell
• Species evolve in • Agreed with Darwin
one that species would
lifetime/generation evolve over time
and pass that new through natural
features on to its selection
offspring
