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Descent With Modification

This document provides an overview of the key individuals and theories in the development of evolutionary thought, culminating in Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. It discusses early Greek and European scientists like Aristotle, Linnaeus, and Cuvier. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed one of the first evolutionary theories, suggesting acquired traits could be inherited. Charles Darwin developed the theory of evolution by natural selection based on his observations on his voyage on the HMS Beagle, including the Galapagos finches. His 1859 book On the Origin of Species explained how natural selection leads to evolution over long periods of time.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
476 views4 pages

Descent With Modification

This document provides an overview of the key individuals and theories in the development of evolutionary thought, culminating in Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. It discusses early Greek and European scientists like Aristotle, Linnaeus, and Cuvier. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed one of the first evolutionary theories, suggesting acquired traits could be inherited. Charles Darwin developed the theory of evolution by natural selection based on his observations on his voyage on the HMS Beagle, including the Galapagos finches. His 1859 book On the Origin of Species explained how natural selection leads to evolution over long periods of time.

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Lesson 3

Descent with Modification


SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson, the student is expected to:
• explain how evolution produce the tremendous amount of diversity
among organisms;
• enumerate the scientists and cite their respective contributions in the
development of evolutionary thought;
• describe Jean Baptiste Lamarck’s hypothesis on evolutionary change;
• discuss Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection; and
• explain the Modern Synthesis as the unified theory of evolution

3.1 Development of Evolutionary Thought

Definition 3.1 Aristotle

A Greek philosopher during the classical period in Ancient Greece who


contributed in shaping and developing evolutionary thought. He developed the
concept of “Scala naturae” or “Scale of Nature” which represents a progression
from the most imperfect to the perfect

3.1.1 Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778)


• Known as the “Father of Taxonomy”
• He developed a hierarchical system of classification
of nature based on anatomy and morphology.
• Introduced the binomial nomenclature system of
naming organism or the scientific name consists of
genus and species.

Domain – Kingdom – Phylum – Class – Order – Family - Genus – Species

3.1.2 Georges Cuvier (1769-1832)


• Known as the “Father of Paleontology”
• He promoted the Theory of Catastrophism – that
the Earth’s geology and natural history have been
shaped by periods of stability interrupted by violent
events during which old species die out and are
replaced by new species.
• He ruled out evolution mechanism for producing
new species, believing they followed naturally after
catastrophe.

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3.1.3 James Hutton (1726-1797)
• A Scottish geologist, chemist, naturalist and originator of
one of the fundamental principles of geology.
• Introduced the concept which explains the features of the
Earth’s crust by means of natural process over geologic
time in a slow and subtle changes in organism.
• His concept was later on known as Uniformitarianism
by Lyell.

3.1.4 Charles Lyell (1797-1875)


• A Scottish geologist largely responsible for the general acceptance
of the view that all features of the Earth’s surface are produced by
physical, chemical and biological processes through long periods of
geologic time or known as Uniformitarianism
• The theory of Uniformitarianism was supported by Lyell’s principle of
Gradualism – where in geologic changes results from slow and gradual
continuous process.

3.1.5 Thomas Malthus (1766-1834)


• An English economist and demographer who developed
the Malthusian theory of population growth in which
he wrote that population growth occurs exponentially, so
it increases according to birth rate.
• For example, if every member of a family tree
reproduces, the tree will continue to grow with each
generation. On the other hand, food production increases
arithmetically, so it only increases at given points in time.

3.2 Early Concepts of Evolution: Jean Baptiste Lamarck

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829)

A French naturalist who took a great conceptual step


and proposed a full-blown theory of evolution.

3.2.1 Change Through Use and Disuse


• Lamarck was struck by the similarities of many of the animals
he studied, and was impressed too by the burgeoning fossil record.
It led him to argue that life was not fixed. When environments
changed, organisms had to change their behavior to survive. If they
began to use an organ more than they had in the past, it would
increase in its lifetime.
• If a giraffe stretched its neck for leaves, for example, a
"nervous fluid" would flow into its neck and make it longer. Its
offspring would inherit the longer neck, and continued stretching
would make it longer still over several generations. Meanwhile
organs that organisms stopped using would shrink.
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3.2.2 Theory of Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics
• If an organism changes during life in order to adapt to its environment,
those changes are passed on to its offspring. He said that change is
made by what the organisms want or need.
• Lamarck also said that body parts that are not being used, such as the
human appendix and little toes are gradually disappearing. Eventually,
people will be born without these parts. Lamarck also believed that
evolution happens according to a predetermined plan and that the
results have already been decided.

3.3 Descent with Modification: A Darwinian View of Life

Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

A naturalist and biologist known for his theory of


evolution and the process of natural selection

3.3.1 Darwin and the HMS Beagle (1831-1836)


• Darwin joined the HMS Beagle in 1831 for a 5-year research voyage
around the world.
• The Beagle was set to sail in South America, he was able to find many
unusual fossils and saw diverse species living in environments that
ranges from sandy shores of remote islands to plains high in Andes.
• He collected and studied plant and animal specimens, bones and fossils.

3.3.2 Darwin’s Finch Collection


• Darwin’s notable stop in his voyage was in Galapagos
Island.
• On his visit to the islands, he discovered several
species of finches that varied from island to island, which
helped him to develop his theory of natural selection.
• The birds were all about the same size, but the shape
and size of the beaks of each species were different.
• The vice-governor of the Galapagos Islands told
Darwin that he could tell which island a particular tortoise
came from by looking at its shell.
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3.3.3 On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859)
• Darwin’s theory of evolution declared that species
survived through a process called "natural selection,"
where those that successfully adapted, or evolved, to meet
the changing requirements of their natural habitat thrive,
while those that failed to evolve and reproduce died off.
• Through his observations and studies of birds, plants
and fossils, Darwin noticed similarities among species all
over the globe, along with variations based on specific
locations, leading him to believe that the species we know
today had gradually evolved from common ancestors.
Darwin’s theory of evolution and the process of natural
selection later became known simply as “Darwinism.”
• He waited 30 years before he published his ideas on
evolution, on November 24, 1859, he published a detailed
explanation of his theory in his best-known work, “On the
Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”.
• Alfred Russell Wallace – published paper on natural
selection first (1858)

3.3.4 Key Ideas of Natural Selection


• Competition for limited resources results in differential survival.
• Adaptations enhance an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce
E.g. Desert fox - large ears, arctic fox - small ears
• Overproduction of offspring leads to competition for resources
• Evolution is the change over time in the genetic composition of a population
• Evolutionary Fitness – Individuals with more favorable phenotypes more likely to
survive and produce more offspring, and pass traits to future generations
• If environment changes or individuals move to new environment, new adaptations
and new species may arise.
• Populations evolve, not individuals.

3.3.5 Natural Selection vs Artificial Selection

• Therefore, if humans can create substantial change over short time, nature can
over long time.

Reference Book:
Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life, 14th ed by Starr, Evers, & Starr (2014)

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