Influencers of Evolution

Some of the biggest influencers of the theory of evolution we have today.

C. Linnaeus

Created the systems which name plants and animals.

E. Darwin

A naturalist and early proponent of evolutionary theory, he proposed that species change over time through a process of inheritance and adaptation.

G-L. Buffon / Leclerc

Proposed that species changed over time and that they have a common ancestry, emphasizing the influence of the environment on species.

J-B. Lamarck

Speculated that organisms could choose traits to acquire and pass them down to their offspring.

T. Malthus

Proposed that populations grow exponentially while resources grow arithmetically, leading to competition and survival of the fittest.

A. Wallace

Independently discovered the theory of natural selection alongside Charles Darwin, emphasizing the role of environmental pressures in shaping species.

G. Cuvier

Proposed the theory of catastrophism, suggesting that mass changes in the earth's geology and climate caused mass extinctions, followed by new species emerging.

C. Lyell

Developed the theory of uniformitarianism, which states that the Earth's features are the result of long-term processes that continue to operate in the present as they did in the past.

J. Hutton

Proposed that the Earth's landscape was shaped by slow, continuous processes over time, laying the groundwork for gradualism.