LAMARCKIAN

EVOLUTION
Jean Baptist LAMARCK
1744 - 1829
• Lamarck rejected fixity
• He proposed a theory of
evolution which is attractive
but it was eventually
rejected because of the way
inheritance works
Adaptation and specialisation

• Lamarck noticed that organisms

adapted to a particular niche
had well developed specialized
organs
 For example a carnivore will have
long canine teeth to grip its prey
 Vestigial organs
• Small non-functional organs (vestigial
organs)
• e.g. the appendix in humans, the
internal hind limbs of whales and the
internal legs of some species of
snakes
 The Law of Use and
Disuse
• He proposed that if an organ is used
a lot it will develop and strengthen
• If it is not used it will atrophy
• He called this the law of use and
disuse
The Inheritance of Acquired
Characteristics
• If an organism developed a characteristic
feature through adapting to a new way of life
during its lifetime, it would pass this on to its
offspring
• The classic example given is that of the
giraffe’s neck
Inheritance of giraffe’s neck

Their stretched bodies were passed onto

their offspring
 Lamarck vs Darwin
• Lamarck’s theory required
adaptation to create new variations
• This was followed by the inheritance
of these characteristics
• Darwin’s theory requires random
hereditary variation first, followed by
selection of the variations
• The argument was over when
Mendel’s laws of genetics were
rediscovered at the end of the 19th
century
• Variations are due to hereditary
traits passing from one generation to
the next in predictable frequencies
 Disproving Lamarck
• Characteristics acquired during the
lifetime of a parent are not passed
onto the offspring
• An athlete who develops a large
muscle mass through training does
not have children who already
possess this large muscle mass
• Emst Haeckel
In an attempt to disprove
Lamarckism he is said to have cut off
the tails of mice for several
generations

n
Lamarckism in evolution
theory today
• Behavior can be different
• Some behavior patterns are innate and will also
evolve in by natural selection
• Learned behavior patterns can be changed
within a generation
• Members of a social group who have acquired
the behavior in their lifetimes will pass these
learned skills onto others including their children
• This pattern of evolution resembles
the Lamarckian pattern
• The evolution of learnt behavior is
much faster than genetic and
evolution and it plays an important
role in human cultural evolution
 References
Website:- www.sciencedirect.com
Article:-
Lamarckism Theory of Evolution:
Evidence, Example in support and
criticism
-by Negi Mohita