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NAME: The Evolution of a Theory Activity 1: Development of Ideas Watch Ch 1-4 of “Darwin’s Dangerous Idea”, noting down any important pieces of evidence or people that helped Charles Darwin to formulate his Theory of Evolution. Read the following information. Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802) Suggested one species could change into another but had no evidence for his theory. Charles’s grandfather was probably an important influence in developing his thoughts on evolution. Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) Independently developed and evolutionary theory based on natural selection. The publication of his first paper spurred Darwin to publish his theory (and 20 years worth of evidence!) John Baptiste de Lamarck (1744-1829) First person to publish a reasoned theory of evolution. He proposed that organisms acquired characteristics over their lifetime through use (or lack of use) of an organ or body part. These developed characteristics are then passed on to offspring. Charles Darwin (1809-1882) Proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection, sometimes called ‘survival of the fittest’ – best suited organisms will survive, and reproduce. Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) Developed the fundamentals of the genetic basis of inheritance – genes allow information (that determines characteristics) to be passed from parents to offspring. From the diagram above, choose one of the contributors to the development of evolutionary theory (excluding Charles Darwin) and using the internet or other sources, write a paragraph discussing their role in contributing to Darwin’s ideas. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Activity 2: Darwin vs Lamarck Watch BRAINPOP “Charles Darwin”. 1. Complete the summary below. Charles Darwin (in 1859) put forward a mechanism to explain evolution as he suggested that natural ………………... was the process in which species change over …………… and develop into new ………………. His ideas were controversial at the time because they conflicted with the accepted ………… belief that all organisms were created at the same ………….. Lamarck (in 1809) had also proposed a theory to explain how populations changed over time. His theory stated that characteristics that are needed by organisms for their survival are acquired and those not needed disappear. The acquired characteristics are ………….. on to their offspring. His theory is now known to be false in most cases. E.g. good tennis players will not necessarily have children who are good tennis players and clipped poodles never give birth to puppies with clipped hair. The differences between Darwin’s and Lamarck’s theories are shown in the drawings to the above. The modern theory of evolution is an extension of Darwin’s theory. Biologists now know about DNA, genes and chromosomes. Living things are born different because of changes in their DNA and genes. A change can be caused by rearranging of genes in meiosis or mutations which can be beneficial to an organism giving it an advantage over others in its environment. 2. Read through the comparison of explanations below. A comparison of Lamarckian and Darwinism theories of evolution Lamarck in 1809 proposed a theory of evolution that stated that animals have organs and structures that they use and do not use. The ones they do not use would eventually deteriorate and the ones they do use would be strengthened and passed on to offspring. He also stated that animals would be able to acquire certain characteristics if they needed them for survival. Darwin used information that he gathered in his research to formulate his theory of evolution based on natural selection. He first published his theory in 1859 under the title On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. A. Lamarck’s Theory (1801 – 09) Sea birds feeding on marine worms all possess a short beak B. Darwin’s Theory (1858) There is variation in the sea bird species with respect to beak shape There is an ‘inner want’ in individuals to possess longer beaks to reach the food. All individuals grow longer beaks in their own lifetime. The acquired characteristics are passed on to the next generation. Natural selection and competition for food favoured longer beaks Longer-beaked individuals survive at the expense of shorter-beaked varieties and pass on their fit characteristics to the next generation. The fitter long-beaked variety survive to sexual maturity and pass on characteristics to next generation. Eventually, over many generations, only the long-beaked marine birds survive the competition For you to do The Australian Rabbit-eared Bandicoot possesses large ears which act as large vascularised radiation surfaces for losing excess body heat to the environment. These help prevent the animal from overheating in hot environments. Using the illustrated Lamarckian and Darwinian models on the previous page to guide you, discuss in point form how: (a) Lamarck; and (b) Darwin would have explained the evolution of the bandicoot’s large ears. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Activity 3: Theory vs Law In all of your reading (and video viewing), you should have noticed that we refer to ‘The Theory of Evolution’ not ‘The Law of Evolution’. Explain why Evolution is a theory as opposed to a law. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………