How did Lamarck and Darwin differ in their thinking about species?
A. Darwin thought that organisms could induce their own changes, while Lamarck thought that change could only be induced by an organism's environment.
B. Darwin thought that change could occur in individual organisms, while Lamarck thought that change could only occur across generations.
C. Darwin thought that genes controlled a species' ability to survive, while Lamarck thought that genes were only one part of a species' ability to adapt.
D. Darwin thought that organisms had to struggle to survive, while Lamarck thought that organisms could make adjustments when conditions became difficult.
D
It's D
The correct answer is D. Darwin thought that organisms had to struggle to survive, while Lamarck thought that organisms could make adjustments when conditions became difficult.
To understand the differences between Lamarck and Darwin's thinking about species, we can delve into their respective theories.
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed the theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics. According to Lamarck, an organism could induce changes in itself, both physically and behaviorally, in response to its environment. These changes would then be inherited by future generations. For example, Lamarck thought that if a giraffe stretched its neck to eat leaves from tall trees, over time, its offspring would also have longer necks. Lamarck believed that organisms had the ability to actively adapt to their environment through use and disuse of specific traits.
On the other hand, Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection challenged Lamarck's ideas. Darwin proposed that species evolve through the mechanism of natural selection. According to Darwin, individual organisms within a species exhibit slight variations, and those variations that are advantageous for survival and reproduction in a particular environment are more likely to be passed on to future generations. This process leads to the accumulation of favorable traits over time, resulting in the evolution of the species. Darwin's theory did not include the idea of an organism actively inducing changes within itself.
In summary, Lamarck believed in the inheritance of acquired characteristics, where organisms could make direct adjustments to survive changing conditions. On the other hand, Darwin argued that species evolve through natural selection, where organisms that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce.