chapter 16.2 (pgs 454-458): ideas that shaped darwin’s thinking
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 16.2 (Pgs 454-458):Ideas That Shaped Darwin’s Thinking
James Hutton
- Hypothesized that geological forces shaped the earth slowly over time
- Gradualism- Deep Time: Earth is much older than a thousand years
Charles Lyell
- Hypothesized that laws of nature are constant over time
- Forces that shape Earth today must be the same ones that have always done so
- Uniformitarianism
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
- Proposed that all organisms have an inborn urge to become more complex and perfect
- Organisms could change during their lifetime by selectively using or not using different body parts
- Individuals could pass these acquired traits on to their offspring
Was Lamarck Correct?
- NO
- Organisms do not have an inner desire to become perfect
- Evolution does not progress in a pre-determined way
- Larmack was one of the first to suggest that species are not fixed and they are linked to their environment
Thomas Malthus’s View on Population Growth- Hypothesized that if human population
grew unchecked there wouldn’t be enough space and food for everyone
- Only those able to get food survive
- Darwin applied this idea to other organisms
- Some species produce millions of offspring every year
- Why do only some survive?
Artificial Selection
- Darwin noticed that farmers would breed animals and plants to get characteristics they wanted
- Nature provides variation in traits, and humans select those they find useful- This process is called
Artificial Selection