theories of mechanisms of evolution

who was LaMarck

-introduced one of the first theories of evolution in 1809

what did LaMarck believe about evolution?

that evolution was caused by organisms actively adapting themselves to environmental conditions

what is the law of use and disuse?

the more an animal uses a structure/feature the more prominent/well developed it will be, the less a structure/feature is used the less prominent and well-developed it will be

what is the inheritance of acquired characteristics?

idea that traits that organisms have developed get passed on to the offspring

what were the 3 major points of Darwin’s Theory of Descent with Modification through Natural Selection

species over reproduce, competition for limited resources occurs, the variation in individuals makes some better at competing for limited resources;the ones with more resources reproduce more and their offsprings skew the genepool

define adaptation

favorable genetic variation, makes an organism more likely to survive and reproduce

define fitness

measure of reproductive success;how many surviving offsprings are produced

define speciation

accumulation of favorable adaptations overtime which results in the formation of a new species