5-1-2 Evolutionary Thought During the 1700s Flashcards
In mid-1700s, what kind of classification scheme did Carl Linnaeus develop, many of the categories of which are still being used in biology today?
A classification scheme for all known living things based on the physical traits they share (i.e., taxonomy). The species was the smallest, most specific group. Each species belonged to a series of broader categories.
What idea did Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon propose in the late 1700s?
Buffon proposed the idea that species could change over time, contrary to the old believe that species were perfectly created and could not change.
He proposed that factors such as the environment, migration, geographical isolation, overcrowding, and struggle for existence could influence evolutionary change.
How was Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802) related to Charles Darwin (1809-1882)? What idea did he propose?
He was Charles Darwin’s grandfather. He proposed that all life forms shared a common ancestor.
Who developed the “principle of biological succession”? What does it state?
William “Strata” Smith (1769-1839). He studied rock layers (strata) and fossils and developed the principle, which states:
- Each period of Earth’s history has its own unique set of fossils
- The rock layers could be identified and ordered based on the types of fossils they contained.
Who proposed the theory of catastrophism? What is the idea?
Georges Cuvier (1769-1832) proposed that Earth’s formation and other geological events occurred abruptly and that there had been several creations that occurred after catastrophes.
Jean Baptiste de Lamarck developed one of the first reasoned theories on how species changed, although it was incorrect. What did he propose?
He proposed that more complex organisms evolved from pre-existing, simpler ones via a mechanism where organisms adapted to their environments, strengthening the organs that they used most. These newly developed traits were then passed to the organisms’ offspring. Lamarck reasoned that the long neck of the modern giraffe was the result of the giraffe’s ancestors stretching to reach food higher and higher in trees.
