3.3 Evolutionary Theories Flashcards
Confidently be able to tell which scientist created which theory (11 cards)
George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon
Found it strange that some anatomical features seemed to serve no purpose (1707 - 1788)
Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) and Erasmus Darwin (1731 - 1802)
Life changed over time, life may have evolved from a single original source
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
1744-1829
one of Buffon’s students
Use and Disuse: used structures become larger and stronger, not used structure become smaller and weaker.
Inheritance of acquired characteristics is:
the theory that individuals could pass on to their children any characteristics acquired during their life. Was proved to be wrong later on.
Fossils
Ancient remains preserved in rock or mineral deposits. Min age of a fossil is 10, 000 years old
4 steps of fossil formation process are…
- organism must die
- buried under sediment (so no CO2 can get to it; this prevents decay)
- Sediment hardens into rock
- Erosion or excavation exposes the fossil
Catastrophism
Proposed by Georges Cuvier (1769-1832)
idea that species were eliminated by catastrophic events and replaced by newly created forms
Uniformitarianism
Proposed by Charles Lyell (1797 - 1875)
Proposed that earth’s geological features can be explained by very slow changes occurring over very long periods of time.
Charles Darwin (22 years old)
left England on the HMS Beagle you map the coast of South America on a search to find out about his theory of evolution by natural Selection
Charles Darwin
Published his book “The Origin of Species”
Came up with the theory of Descent with modifications, and he didn’t call it evolution because this felt like saying the species were better adapted, but it’s completely random.
Descent with Modification
theory that natural selection does not demonstrate progress, merely results from the ability to survive local conditions at a specific time.
