lecture 2

Question 1

what is the theory of spontaneous generation?

Answer 1

living structures form without descent from other organisms

Question 2

what did the Swan Neck experiment do?

Answer 2

by showing that micro-organisms couldn’t form in a closed flask, it disproved spontaneous generation

Question 3

what is the theory of preformationism?

Answer 3

organisms develop from miniature versions of themselves(i.e., ovists, spermists)

Question 4

what is the theory of pangenesis?

Answer 4

body shells and structures shed small pieces of themselves which collect in the reproductive organs prior to fertilization

Question 5

what are gemmules?

Answer 5

the small particles that are produced by each organ throughout a person’s life that contain information about the organ and travel to the reproductive organs

Question 6

what type of inheritance pattern does pangenesis follow?

Answer 6

blended inheritance; goes against Darwin’s theory of evolution

Question 7

what is Lamarckism?

Answer 7

“acquired characteristics”; an organism can pass characteristics acquired in life to its offspring

Question 8

what does the idea of “use v. disuse” mean?

Answer 8

if a trait is not used, then it is lost

Question 9

what did the Rat Tail Mutilation experiments by Weismann prove?

Answer 9

it disproved Lamarckism as the offspring of the mutilated rats did not have short tails like their parents did

Question 10

what is the theory of epigenesis?

Answer 10

the embryo is not preformed in the ovum or the sperm but that it develops gradually by the successive formation of new parts from information passed down