Jean- Baptiste Lamark had the most influence on Darwin’s
development of his theory of Natural Selection.
Jean-Baptiste Lanmark suggested
·
dynamic relationship between species and the environment
such that the external environment changed.
·
animals activities patterns would change to accommodate
new circumstances; physical change would respond to bodily needs and structure would
be modified. Alterations would make the animal better suited to its habitat.
·
New traits would be passed on to its offspring.
(Proven wrong later).
·
http://evolution.about.com/od/Pre-Darwin/ss/8-People-Who-Influenced-Charles-Darwin.htm#step2states.
Article states Lamarck was one of the first to propose humans evolved from a
lower species through adaptation over time. I feel that without Jean-Batiste Lamark,
Darwin would not be able to develop his theory of natural selection. I feel
that Darwin embraced most of his ideas and developed his own theories after
analyzing Lamark. I strongly feel that Darwin’s development of natural selection
strongly resembles Lamark. Even though some of Lamark’s ideas were proven
incorrect later on, his initial suggestions were taken.
Hello Chalia, just like you I chose Lamarck for my most influential person in Darwin's claims of natural selection. Although, Lamarck wasn't able to be completely true in his findings, he set the precedence for a lot of the science that we know and acknowledge today. also noting how Lamarck was the first to claim that humans evolved from other primates is a very important piece of evidence for Darwin to later use in his studies.
ReplyDeleteIt appears that you posted your notes for this assignment? There were specific points in the guidelines that needed to be addressed and I'm having trouble parsing out your responses to those points. These posts should be written as papers, with paragraphs and complete explanations. Show your readers what you know and present in a way that reflects on you as positively as possible.
ReplyDeleteI do see where you have an explanation of Lamarck's theory. This could have been expanded for a full explanation. And example of what I was looking for:
Lamarck was the first to propose an actual mechanism explaining "how" evolution occurred, not just "if" it occurred. This is a big deal and, although Lamarck's ideas turned out to be incorrect, this first step in evolutionary theory laid the path for those like Darwin to follow. Lamarck argued that organisms changed during their lifetimes in response to changes in their environment through the use or disuse of physical structures. Those physical changes were then passed onto their offspring. The classic example is the lengthening of the giraffe's neck in response to taller trees.
I don't see where you addressed the section asking you to select bullet points that applied to Malthus' work?
"I feel that without Jean-Batiste Lamark, Darwin would not be able to develop his theory of natural selection."
I suggest you are over-stating Lamarck's importance to Darwin. Lamarck certainly influenced Darwin positively and helped lead the way by proposing his own mechanism for evolution, but there were other individuals who contributed more important keystones to Darwin's work (such as Lyell and Malthus) and their importance should not be under-valued by placing too much importance on Lamarck.
I don't see a discussion of the final point regarding the influence of the church on Darwin's decision to publish.