GROUP 3

THEORIES OF EVOLUTION
Two scientist led the way in formulating the
mechanism for evolution.
• Jean Baptiste Lamarck
• The second was one of the greatest figures in
biology, Charles Darwin.
LAMARCK’S THEORY
ADAPTION
One of the first proponents of the idea of evolution is the French
scientist Jean Baptiste de Lamarck (1744-1829). He proposed that if
an animal could develop a particular characteristic in its lifetime,
then this trait could be passed on to their offspring and its
succeeding generations. He cited as an example the long neck of
giraffe. At that time, most scientist thought that Lamarck was silly
and only a few radical thinkers, life Erasmus Darwin, Charles
Darwin’s grandfather, believed in the concept of single origin and
changers in species
LAMARCKISM
Lamarckism was proposed by Jean-Baptiste de Monet
Lamarck in the year 1744-1829. This theory was based on
the principle that all the physical changes occurring in an
individual during its lifetime are inherited by its offspring.
LAMARKISM THEORY
Change Through Use And Disuse
The organs which are used frequently by the organism
develop and the characteristics that are used seldom are lost
in the succeeding generations. For eg., a giraffe stretches its
neck to eat leaves, a “nervous fluid” would flow in its neck
and it enlarges. The organs which the organisms have
stopped using would shrink with time
LAMARKISM THEORY
Inheritance of Acquired Characters
An individual acquires certain characteristics during its
lifetime. These characters are inherited by their offspring as
well. He explained this with an example of a blacksmith. A
blacksmith has strong arms due to the nature of their work.
He proposed that any children a blacksmith conceives will
inherit the development of strong muscles.
LAMARKISM THEORY
Effect of Environment and New Needs
The environment influences all the organisms. A slight
change in the environment brings about changes in the
organisms. This gives rise to new needs which in turn
produces new structures and changes the habits of the
organisms.
DARWIN’S THEORY
EVOLUTION
Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1852). an English naturalist, authored the
book entitled “On the Origin of Species by Means if Natural Selection” or
the “Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life”. The book
was published in 1859 after 30 years of study and observation.
He explained the biological richness of the tropical forest, the fossil of huge
extinct mammals in Patagonia and the forms of life on the Galapagos Islands.
When he returned to England after the voyage, he published a book on
different subjects and wrote for the next 40 year his formulation of
evolutionary process. He had evidence but evolution: fossil, geographical
distribution, and oceanic islands.
VISIBLE EVIDENCE OF
ONGOING EVOLUTION:
DARWIN’S FINCHES
From 1831 to 1836, Darwin traveled around the world, observing animals on
different continents and islands. On the Galapagos Islands, Darwin observed several
species of finches with unique beak shapes. He observed these finches closely
resembled another finch species on the mainland of South America and that the group
of species in the Galápagos formed a graded series of beak sizes and shapes, with
very small differences between the most similar.
 Darwin imagined that the island species might be all species modified from
one original mainland species. In 1860, he wrote, “seeing this gradation and
diversity of structure in one small, intimately related group of birds, one
might really fancy that from an original paucity of birds in this archipelago,
one species had been taken and modified for different ends.”
VISIBLE EVIDENCE OF
ONGOING EVOLUTION:
DARWIN’S FINCHES

 
DARWIN’S THEORY CAN BE
SUMMARIZED INTO SIX MAIN
POINTS
1.OVERPOPULATION- Species have the ability to produce a large
number of offspring. According to Darwin, organisms have tendency to
overproduce in reproduction. The fishes producing countless eggs and ferns
producing millions of spores
2.COMPETITION- Living space in the natural world is limited, hence
organisms must compete among themselves and with other species for the
necessities of life
3.VARIATION- No two individuals are exactly alike. Many of traits are
inherited by chance distribution
4. ADAPTION- Because of limited resources, the organism then have to
compete and those that can adapt to environmental stress continue to live
5. NATURAL SELECTION- The organisms that have survived and
produced off-springs are those that have inherited beneficial traits of
survival
6. SPECIATION- The population gradually becomes better adapted to the
environment as the process of evolution continues