The Historical

Development of a Theory
of Evolution

What is evolution?
Evolution,

in the biological sense, is

the process by which hereditary
changes occur in one or more
characteristics within a species over
a long period of time.

These

changes occur as a result of

mutations.

What is a Theory?
A

scientific hypothesis is a statement

that provides one possible
explanation for an observation.

Hypotheses

must be tested to
determine their validity through:
experimentation
observations
and developing models from data

 Hypotheses

that consistently lead to

successful predictions or
explanations are sometimes
synthesized into a general statement
called a theory.

The

theory of evolution is a set of

ideas put forward that attempts to
explain how life has evolved, and
continues to evolve, on Earth.

Development of the Theory of

Evolution
Although Charles Darwin is the most
well-known evolutionist, the theory of
evolution is built on the work of many
contributors and is based on several
different lines of evidence.
Many of the earliest ideas about the
origins of life were strongly influenced by
religion and philosophy. These ideas
suggested that all life forms have existed
unchanged since their creation.

Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de

Buffon (1707-1788)

French naturalist
Publicly challenged the
idea that life forms
are unchanging
Noted similarities
between humans and
apes and speculated
they might have a
common ancestor
Suggested that Earth
was much older than
6000 years

James Hutton (1726-1797)

Charles Lyell (1797-1875)

UNIFORMITARIANISM
The natural processes that change the
Earth presently have operated in the past
at the same gradual rate

Georges Cuvier (1769-1832)

Largely credited with

developing the science
of paleontology the
study of ancient life
through the
examination of fossils
Found that each layer
of rock was
characterized by its
own unique group of
fossil species
Deeper rock layers
had fossil species
most dissimilar to
modern life

Cuvier: CATASTROPHISM
Every extinction of
species in the fossil
record was due to
a local catastrophe
A new set of
species moved in
and colonized an
area from another
part of the world
(rather than
evolved in situ)

Jean Lamarck (1744-1829)

First to recognize key

role played by the
environment in
evolution
Each species gradually
became more complex
and new and simple
species were being
created by
spontaneous
generation

Lamarck: ACQUIRED
CHARACTERISTICS

Organisms acquired
characteristics as a
result of interactions
with their environment
Body parts used
extensively to cope
with conditions in the
environment would
become larger and
stronger; adaptations
would be inherited by
offspring
Body parts not used
would eventually
disappear
use and disuse

Thomas Malthus (1766-1834)

Plants and animals

produce far more
offspring than can be
supported by their
environments
Population growth is
limited by densitydependent factors
such as disease, war,
and starvation (food
availability)

Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

and Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913):

NATURAL SELECTION

Main Ideas:

Organisms produce
more offspring than
can survive.
Therefore, they
compete for limited
resources.
Individuals of a
population vary
extensively, and much
of this variation is
heritable.

Individuals that are better suited to local

conditions survive to produce offspring.
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST
Processes for change are slow and gradual
GRADUALISM

On the Origin of Species

by Charles Darwin

Descent with Modification

Natural selection does not demonstrate
progress; it has no set direction with
regards to the complexity of an organism.
It is random and does not result from a
grand design or plan.
It results from the ability of certain
individuals in any population to survive
local environmental conditions and to pass
on the trait that helped them survive.