Early Theories of Inheritance

This set of flashcards covers key concepts related to early theories of inheritance, including Aristotelian, Lamarckian, and Darwinian ideas.

Aristotelian Great Chain of Being

A linear classification of organisms based on increasing complexity and size, with humans at the top.

Lamarckian Evolution

A theory proposed by Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck, suggesting that simple organisms evolve by moving up the great chain of being through inheritance of acquired characters.

Darwinian Evolution

The theory of evolution by natural selection proposed by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, stating that species change over time through natural selection based on heritable traits.

Natural Selection

The process by which individuals in a population with advantageous heritable traits tend to produce more offspring, leading to changes in the population over time.

Descent with Modification

Darwin's concept stating that species change over time, producing modern species from ancestral species.

Typological Thinking

A view that species are unchanging types and variations among them are unimportant.

Inheritance of Acquired Characters

Lamarck's idea that individuals can pass on traits acquired during their lifetime to their offspring.

Evolution

A change in the heritable traits of biological populations over successive generations.

Process Component of Evolution

The mechanism of evolution, which suggests that natural selection operates on heritable traits to drive changes in populations.

Pattern Component of Evolution

The observation that species change over time and are related through common ancestry.