Lecture 1 Flashcards
evolution means
change
Biological evolution
genetic change underlying the properties of groups of organisms over generations
biological evolution key points
genetic inheritable change, need generations/time, need a group of organisms
Essentialism
every species has an essence of which each individual is an imperfect form
Aristotle believed
species were fixed but we could arrange them hierarchically
The great chain of being is
minerals, plants, animals, humans, demons, angles, god
teleological
organisms are designed and have purpose
Special creations
god created each species in the form it has today, gods creations are permanent and unchanging
Carolus Linnaeus
The father of modern taxonomy created binomial nomenclature in his book systems nature, believed that the purpose of natural science was to catalog gods creations
Georges Buffon
Said each species had an unchanging internal mold, proposed that closely related species may have arisen from a common ancestor, and species within a genus had been modified differently by climate conditions
James hutton
Called the father of geology, discovered geological time was longer than previously thought through patterns of deposition and erosion, looked at earths layers and said earth is very old
Georges Cuvier
Worlds expert on anatomy of animals, established extinction as a fact, advocated for catatrophism
Catastrophism
the earth is shaped by biblical catastrophies
Charles lyell
said earth is older but it happened slowly over time (contradicted catastrophism) and wrote the principles of geography, believed in uniformitarianism
uniformitarianism
The earth is shaped by slow moving forces over a very long period of time
Jean Monet
proposed how evolution could happen (was wrong) said change was through use and disuse and could happen over an individual’s lifetime. Example Giraffe necks
Erasmus Darwin
Charles Dawins grandfather, doctor, inventor, supported Lamarck, evolutionary thinker
Charles Darwin
Credited for discovering evolution but he really just discovered the mechanism behind it, natural selection
Boat Darwin was on
Naturalist on the HMS Beagle
Darwins mentor was
robert grant
The Beagles Voyage
Lasted 5 years, noted geology, collected fossils and specimens
Darwins return from the voyage he
spent the next 20 years working, trying to figure out evolution, collecting evidence, then he published his book Origin of Species
Malthus
Said human population growth was greater then the food supply, this inspired darwins ideas of natural selection
Alfred Wallace
While collecting specimens in Malay he wrote to darwin about his theory on natural selection, copublished the theory with darwin