GENERAL BIOLOGY 2

DEVELOPMENT
OF
EVOLUTIONARY
THOUGHTS
LET'S LEARN
OBJECTIVES:
to understand the history of
01 evolutionary thought and
its development

to examine Darwin's Theory

02 of Evolution and its impact;

and to present the Evidence

03 for Evolution supporting the
theory of natural selection.
INTRODUCTION:
What is Development of
Evolutionary Theory?

The development of evolutionary

thought refers to the ideas and
theories that explain how life on Earth
has changed and developed over
time.
INTRODUCTION:
What is Development of
Evolutionary Theory?

In the Theory of Evolution, Charles Darwin has had

the greatest impact. However, his work was
influenced by earlier thinkers and scientists. There
were six key figures who helped shape the
development of evolutionary theory before
Darwin’s groundbreaking theory.
 HISTORY
OF
EVOLUTIONARY
THEORY
 CAROLUS LINNAEUS

1 “Father of Taxonomy”
(1707-1778)
Introduced the idea of classifying
organisms based on their
characteristics, especially in plants.

Published Systema Naturae in 1735,

which started the modern way of
organizing species.

Created the binomial naming system,

where each species gets a two-part
Latin name (Genus and species).
1 CAROLUS LINNAEUS
“Father of Taxonomy”
(1707-1778)

Developed the classification

system: Kingdom, Phylum,
Class, Order, Family, Genus,
Species.

His system is still used today

to classify living things.
 The two-part Latin name system for organisms,
developed by Carolus Linnaeus, is called binomial
nomenclature:
EXAMPLE:
GENUS: The first part of the
name, which is capitalized the scientific name for a
house cat is
SPECIES: The second part
of the name, which is Felis catus, where Felis is
lowercase the genus and catus is
the species.
This is the hierarchical system
of taxonomy for classifying
organisms. This system is still
used today, with eight levels of
classification: domain,
kingdom, phylum, class, order,
family, genus, and species.
2 THOMAS ROBERT MALTHUS
(1766-1834)

An English economist and scholar

known for his work in population
studies.

In his 1798 book, An Essay on the

Principle of Population, he argued
that human populations grow
faster than the resources available
to support them.
2 THOMAS ROBERT MALTHUS
(1766-1834)

Malthus believed that when a

population exceeds its resources,
factors like hunger and disease
reduce the population by affecting
the weakest members of society.

His ideas influenced later thinkers,

including Charles Darwin, in
understanding the struggle for
survival in natural selection.
Thomas Malthus' Theory of
Population suggests that the
human population grows
exponentially, while food
production increases at a
much slower, linear rate. This
means that the population
will eventually outgrow the
food supply, leading to
shortages.
 GEORGES CUVIER
3 (1769-1832)

Developed the Theory of

Catastrophism, suggesting that
sudden, violent natural events
caused extinction and the
creation of new species.

Classified animals based on their

body plans.
 GEORGES CUVIER
3 (1769-18320)

• His fossil studies led to the

development of paleontology.

• His work helped interpret fossil

remains and link them to living
species.
4 JAMES HUTTON
(1726-1797)

• A Scottish geologist who challenged

Cuvier's view in 1795 with his idea of
GRADUALISM.

• Proposed that large changes in the

earth's surface could be caused by
slow, constant processes.
This image shows
gradualism, where small
changes happen over a long
time. It explains how species
slowly evolve through tiny
adjustments, leading to big
differences over
generations.
5 CHARLES LYELL
(1797-1875)

• He observed ancient raised seabed's

separated by lava flows, and became
convinced that Hutton's model of
gradual geological change was correct.

• Collected a large amount of supporting

evidence for uniformitarianism and set
this out in the "Principles of Geology", a
book that had influence on Darwin's
work about evolution.
6 JEAN BAPTISTE DE LAMARCK
(1774-1829)

• Proposed the Theory of Use and Disuse,

suggesting that organisms can develop traits
they frequently use and lose traits they don’t.

• Introduced the Theory of Acquired Traits,

which hypothesized that adaptive traits
developed during an organism's life can be
passed to its offspring.

• Lamarck's theories were not entirely

successful, as they were later proven
incorrect.
He used giraffes to explain his theory. He believed that giraffes originally had
short necks but stretched them to reach leaves on tall trees. Over time, their
necks grew longer from constant use. He also claimed this acquired trait (long
necks) was passed to their offspring.
 DARWIN'S
THEORY OF
EVOLUTION
 CHARLES DARWIN
(1809-1882)

• An English naturalist who is most famous for

developing the theory of evolution through
Natural Selection;

• This process explains that animals with traits

that help them survive and reproduce in their
environment are more likely to pass those traits
on to their offspring. Over time, these traits
become more common in the population, leading
to the gradual evolution of species.
Darwin’s theory explained that the long neck of giraffes likely evolved over many
generations due to natural selection.
Darwin’s famous observations of finches on the Galápagos Islands helped
solidify his theory. This became a perfect example of how species evolve over
time through natural selection.
 EVIDENCE
OF
EVOLUTION
 EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION

Fossil Comparative Molecular

Evidence Anatomy Biology
 EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION

Direct Observation
Embryology Biogeography
of Evolution
EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION

Natural
Selection
FOSSIL EVIDENCE

Fossils provide a chronological

record of life, documenting how
species have changed over
millions of years.

Transitional fossils, like Tiktaalik, bridge

gaps between major groups (e.g., fish
and amphibians), while others like
Archaeopteryx link dinosaurs and birds.

Fossil layers in sedimentary rocks align

with evolutionary predictions, showing
simpler life forms in older layers and
more complex ones in newer layers.
COMPARATIVE ANATOMY

Homologous structures, like human

hands, bat wings, and whale fins, share
a similar structure but serve different
functions, showing common ancestry.

Analogous Structures: Features with

similar functions (e.g., wings in bats and
insects) that evolved independently
demonstrate convergent evolution.

Vestigial Structures: Examples include

the human tailbone, wisdom teeth, and
whale pelvic bones, which are remnants
of structures that were functional in
ancestral species.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

DNA, RNA, and proteins show deep

connections between species. For instance,
the genetic code is nearly universal,
supporting the idea of a common ancestor.

Cytochrome c, a protein found in cellular

respiration, is highly conserved across
species. The more closely related two
species are, the more similar their genetic
sequences.

Gene duplications and mutations

provide raw material for evolution,
contributing to new functions.
EMBRYOLOGY

Early-stage embryos of different species

often display structures that later
disappear, like gill slits in human embryos,
which are retained in fish as functioning
gills.

Similar patterns in embryonic

development among vertebrates (e.g.,
fish, birds, and humans) point to
common ancestry.

Another example is the tail present in

human embryos, which regresses before
birth but persists in other species like
monkeys, showcasing common
ancestry.
BIOGEOGRAPHY

Island Adaptations: Isolated islands

(e.g., Galápagos) host unique species,
like Darwin’s finches, adapted to their
environments.

Continental Drift: Similar fossils on distant

continents (e.g., marsupials in Australia
and South America) show past land
connections.

Geographic Isolation: Remote

regions, such as Madagascar, have
species like lemurs that evolved
independently due to isolation.
DIRECT OBSERVATION OF EVOLUTION

Bacteria evolving
resistance to antibiotics

Insects developing
resistance to pesticides
like DDT.

Finch beaks on the Galápagos

Islands changing in response to
food availability during droughts.
NATURAL SELECTION

Proposed by Charles Darwin, natural

selection explains how favorable traits
increase in frequency within a
population.

Traits that improve survival and

reproduction (e.g., camouflage, speed, or
resistance) are passed to the next
generation, while less advantageous traits
diminish.

Examples include the peppered moth,

whose coloration shifted during the
Industrial Revolution due to
environmental changes.
 CONCLUSION
The development of evolutionary thought has been a journey of
scientific discovery, from early philosophical ideas to the
modern synthesis of genetics and natural selection. Key figures
like Charles Darwin, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, and Alfred Russel
Wallace contributed to shaping our understanding of how
species change over time. Today, evolution remains a
cornerstone of biological sciences, influencing medicine,
ecology, and even technology. As new discoveries continue to
refine our knowledge, the study of evolution remains an ever-
evolving field, driving progress in understanding life’s
complexity."
THANK YOU!