Biol 214 - Development of Evolutionary Thinking

Topic 2, tested on the 9/18/2025 exam for topics 1-6. evolution. Identify and summarize the ideas/contributions of the following scientists.

The branch of biology that examines the form and variety of organisms in their natural environments.

Natural history

The branch of biology that classifies organisms, usually through binomial nomenclature.

Modern taxonomy

A metaphysical “perfecting principle” caused organisms to become better suited to their environments. Simple organisms evolved into more complex ones when they operated certain traits, moving up the ladder of life.

Principle of Use and Disuse

Orthogenesis; use and disuse of parts causes change that is passed from one generation to the next. Includes the belief that change is goal-directed. Organisms have an internal drive to become more and more complex.

Theory of Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics

The first student of natural history. Believed that both inanimate objects and living species have fixed characteristics that could be classified into a ladder-like classification of nature.

Aristotle

Father of modern taxonomy. Popularized the use of binomial nomenclature.

Carolus Linnaeus

Suggested that some animals must have changed since their creation; suggested that vestigial structures must have functioned in ancestral organisms.

George-Louis Leclerc le Comte (Count) de Buffon

Founder of comparative morphology and paleobiology. Developed the theory of catastrophism. Suggested abrupt changes in rock strata = dramatic shifts in ancient environments.

George Curvier

A student of Buffon that suggested two mechanisms that led to evolutionary change.

1) Principle of Use and Disuse

2) Theory of Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics

While incorrect, he still proposed that all species change through time, recognized that new characteristics are passed from one generation to the next, suggested that organisms change in response to their environments, and hypothesized the existence of specific mechanisms that fostered evolutionary change.

Lamark

Proposed the idea of gradualism, which argued that slow and continuous physical processes acting over long periods of time produced Earth’s major geological features.

James Hutton

The development of the theory of uniformitarianism removed all doubt of an unchanging earth. This scientist argued that the geological processes that sculpted Earth’s surface over long periods of time are the same as the processes observed today. It must have taken millions of years, not just a few thousand, to mold the landscape into its current configuration.

Charles Lyell

Wrote the “Essay on the Principles of Population.” Observed that while wealthy populations could curb their growth through "preventative checks" like moral restraint, poor populations were more vulnerable to "positive checks" like famine, disease, and war. Provided Darwin with the critical insight that all organisms must engage in a "struggle for existence.”

Thomas Malthus

Scientist who gifted Darwin the book “Humboldt's Narrative,” which referenced gradualism and uniformitarianism.

Henslow