chapter 2: darwin's big idea

Question 1

william paley

Answer 1

-argument from design (teleological argument)
-complexity of organisms is explained by the existence of a (supernatural) designer

Question 2

jean-baptiste de lamarck

Answer 2

-first to use term evolution
-hypothesis depicted the inheritance of acquired characters

Question 3

the origin of species: ideas

Answer 3

-descent with modification from common ancestors
-natural selection leads to adaptation

Question 4

charles lyell

Answer 4

-uniformitarianism
-processes that shape the earth are uniform through time

Question 5

darwin’s mechanism of natural selection

Answer 5

-variation: individual variation in a population
-heredity: resemblance between parents and offspring
-fitness: level of success in surviving and breeding in a given environment

Question 6

august weismann’s germplasm theory

Answer 6

-inheritance is only by germ cells (gametes), not somatic cells
-genetic information flows in one direction: DNA to protein

Question 7

elements of darwin’s theory

Answer 7

-evolution occurs at a population level
-variation is not directed by environment
-most fit type depends on the environment
-survival of the fitter