Evolution (week 2) Flashcards
Anaximander
organisms evolve from other organisms
Plato
Objects are temporary reflections of ideal forms
Aristotle
All living things can be arranged in a linear hierarchy - Scala naturae
Creationism
a god is absolute creator of heaven and earth, out of nothing, by an act of free will; includes Christians, jews, and Muslims
Spontaneous generation
rotting meat produces maggots, dust gives rise to flies (etc)
Scala Naturae (scale of life)
- establish humans as dominant and a perfect form of life
- sets humans above and aprt from nature
John Ray
1st thorough study of natural world
Carolus Linnaeus
created binomial system (naming system for plants and animals still used today)
Count George Buffon
wrote catalog of all known plants and animals, suggested life forms change over time
Erasmus Darwin
suggested common descent, evidence in developmental patterns, artificial selection, vestigial organs
Georges Cuvier
founder of comparative anatomy (develop system of classification)
founded paleontology, proposed catastrophism
Jean-Baptiste lamarck
first biologist to propose evolution, concluded complex organisms are descended from less complex organisms
proposed Lamarckism (inheritance of acquired characteristics)
James hutton and Charles Lyell
Proposed Uniformitarianism (change is constant)
Earth is subjected to slow but continuous cycles of erosion and uplift
Darwins Theory of Evolution
Darwin saw similar species in similar habitats
reasoned related species could be modified according to the environment
Tortoises: neck length varied from island to island depending on vegetation)
Finches: many different species across the island, diff beak sizes due to diet)
Darwins Three observations
1) organisms have great potential fertility, permits exponential growth
2) natural populations normally do not increase exponentially but remain constant size
3) natural resources are limited
