darwin and evolution Flashcards
count buffon
wrote a 44 volume natural history series
that described multiple plant and animal species, he suggested mechanisms for evolution and “the struggle for existence” but waivered and supported species fixity and special creation
carl linnaues
invented binomial nomenclature
baron george cuvier
proposed that fossils without living representatives had gone “Extinct”; used
comparative anatomy to develop a system of classifying animals; he founded the science of
paleontology
what did cuviers studies reveal?
his studies revealed that the assembly of fossil varieties changed between different layers of sediment or strata within geographic time
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
proposed a hypothesis that explained how
evolution could occur; proposed that more complex species were derived from less
derived species
james hutton
Hutton explained the slow process of rock formation from erosion, to sedimentation, to reincorporating; suggested the earth moves slowly and is very old
thomas malthus
writes an essay on human populations and
explained how human populations; are limited inevitably by a resource; this essay would inspire Darwin to suggest a mechanism for evolution
alfered russell wallace
British naturalist who worked in the Amazon and later in the Southeast Asia, specialized on insects; he noticed how closely appearing species usually lived close by but had a barrier
between them
differential reproductive success
The individuals with favorable traits acquire more resources than the individuals with less favorable traits and can devote more energy to
reproduction
fitness
the reproductive success of an individual relative to other members of a population
evidence for evolution
Fossil Evidence
* Biogeographical Evidence
* Anatomical Evidence
* Biochemical Evidence
biogeography
the branch of biology that deals with the
geographical distribution of plants and animals
homologous
Structures that are anatomically similar because they are inherited from common ancestors
