History of Evolutionary Thought Flashcards
Evolution Definition
Change over time
What was the significance of Theology during the Pre-Renaissance Period?
Theology was a powerful spiritual, legal, and political force
What was the Church Doctrine (Abrahamic religions)?
It stated that the natural world had always existed in the same form that it exists today
How was the Church Doctrine enforced?
By imprisonment of worse
How was Aristotle influential to Pre-Renaissance science?
He developed the structure called the Great Chain of Being
How was Ptolemy influential to Pre-Renaissance science? (2)
- He developed the idea of a Geocentric Universe composted of nested spheres
- He stated that Earth was an organic world that was stable and unchanging
What occurred during the Renaissance and Enlightenment Period?
Scientists and scholars began to question and challenge the idea of an unchanging world
What theory did Nicolaus Copernicus develop in the 16th Century?
The Theory of Heliocentrism
Theory of Heliocentrism
A superseded astronomical model in which the Earth and planets revolve around the Sun at the center of the universe.
What was the significance of Francis Bacon during the 17th Century? (2)
He introduced use of deductive method and basis of modern day scientific techniques
What was the significance of Rene Descartes during the 17th Century?
He contributed to a new method of mathematics called Cartesian Geometry
What was the significance of Isaac Newton during the 17th Century? (3)
He developed:
- Calculus
- Laws of Motion
- Laws of Gravity
What was the significance of Robert Hooke during the 17th Century?
He figured out that the Earth’s surface had changed dramatically during its creation by analyzing marine fossils
What idea did scientists challenge at the end o the 17th Century?
The idea of a static universe
What idea did scientists NOT challenge at the end of the 17th Century and WHY NOT?
They did not challenge the fixity of species because they believed in the idea that God created each species “as-is”
What was the significance of Carolus Linnaeus during the 18th Century?
He developed Systems Naturae, a static classification of plants and animals
What was the significance of Count Louis Buffon during the 18th Century?
- He noted variation within species (influenced by local climate)
What was the significance of Jean Baptiste Lamarck during the 18th Century? (2)
- He developed the first theory of macroevolution
- Coined the term “biology”
What was the significance of Linnaeus during the 18th Century? (2)
- Linnaean Taxonomy
- Binomial Nomenclature
What is Linnaean Taxonomy?
The biological classification system used to demonstrate the hierarchy of groupings
Linnaeus believed in the ____ ,so he did not ask ____ and did not see that ____
He believed in the fixity of species, so he did not ask “why are some organisms so similar to others?” and did not see that similar species must share a common ancestor
What was Lamarckian Evolution the first to do?
First theory to discuss speciation
Lamarckian Inheritance (3)
- Mechanism of speciation
- Organs develop according to their usefulness
- Effects of use and disuse are inherited
What were the problems with Lamarcks theories? (2)
- Desires, wishes, and needs do NOT results in the ability to change morphology and behavior
- Inheritance of acquired traits is not possible
What was the significance of George Cuvier during the 18th and19th Century? (2)
- Father of zoology, paleontology, and comparative anatomy
- Supported catastrophism, opposed evolution
What was the significance of Charles Lyell during the 19th Century? (2)
- Father of Modern Geology
- Principle of Uniformitarianism
What was the significance of Darwin during the 19th Century?
Theory of Natural Selection
What is Catastrophism?
- Explanation for fossil evidence for extinction
- Allowed for change AND fixity of species
What is the Principle of Uniformitarianism?
- Geological processes observed in the present are the same as those which occurred in the past
What was Darwin’s Evolution of Common Descent?
The observations of the finches were evidence for evolution by common descent
Darwin’s Mechanism of Selection
Individuals with favorable characteristics for living in their environment would survive to reproduce. Those with unfavorable variations would not
Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection (1)
All organisms are capable of producing offspring faster than the food supply increases
Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection (2)
All things show variation
Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection (3)
There is a fierce struggle for existence, where those with the most suitable variations are most likely to survive and reproduce
Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection (4)
Variations or traits are passed on to offspring (inherited)
Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection (4)
Small changes every generation lead to major changes over long periods of time
