Chat with AIExam 2: The Development of Evolutionary Theory
_________ was an eighteenth-century thinker who believed that living forms changed in response to the environment. Although he did not think nature was perfect or had a grand purpose, he still rejected the idea that one species could give rise to another.
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The term "biology" was coined by
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Explain why Charles Lyell's principle of uniformitarianism was important to Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace as they developed their theories of biological evolution.
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Answered by Examlex AI CopilotCharles Lyell's principle of uniformitarianism was important to Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace as they developed their theories of biological evolution because it provided a framework for understanding the long-term processes that shape the Earth's surface and the organisms that inhabit it.
Uniformitarianism suggests that the same natural laws and processes that operate in the present have also operated in the past, and at the same rate. This idea allowed Darwin and Wallace to infer that the Earth and its life forms had changed gradually over long periods of time, rather than through sudden, catastrophic events. This concept of gradual change over time provided a crucial foundation for their theories of evolution by natural selection.
By recognizing the slow and steady processes of geological change, Darwin and Wallace were able to envision how small variations in organisms could accumulate over generations, leading to the development of new species. They were also able to see how environmental factors could influence the survival and reproduction of different traits, leading to the adaptation of species to their specific habitats.
In essence, Lyell's principle of uniformitarianism helped Darwin and Wallace to understand the deep time scales and gradual processes that underlie the diversity of life on Earth, and it provided a crucial framework for their theories of biological evolution.
The fact that anatomical structures appear to be uniquely fitted to the functions they serve was the basis for the
(38) Discuss the definition of fitness as it pertains to natural selection.
(31) The theory that characteristics acquired during the lifetime of an individual could be passed on to that individual's offspring is termed
(32) Who developed the binomial system of classifying biological organisms?
(37) Explain why creationists oppose evolution and how they continue to attack its teachings.
(25) Who wrote Principles of Geology and emphasized the principle of uniformitarianism?
(32) The opponent of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck who proposed the theory of catastrophism was
(34) Proponents of "creation science" hold that their ideas are absolute and infallible.
(41) Describe the work of John Ray and Carolus Linnaeus and how it served as precursors to the theory of evolution.
(32) How is natural selection related to environmental factors? How can selective pressures change? Give an example.
(32) Who first recognized that species were groups of organisms that were distinguished from other such groups by their ability to reproduce?
(39) "Fitness," in an evolutionary sense, refers to an individual's
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