 |
 |
|
|
Previous Section: Origin of Life | Next Section: Realm of Ecology
IntroductionOne of the most unique features of wildlife is its immense diversity, better known as biodiversity. The biodiversity that exists today, comes from billions of years of evolution. However, it is not the end result of evolution because evolution is occurring even today. Species are constantly undergoing change, changes that can be overlooked in the human time-scale. Evolution is the process of change through the genetic makeup of a population. It is important to realize the role of the population in evolution. Evolution occurs only when a population changes and not just when certain individuals change. The theory of evolution did not come about until the late 1700s. Jean Baptiste Lamarck, a French scientist, was among the first to put forth the idea of biological evolution. He was able to observe and deduce that changes to an organism occurred due to the need to adapt to a change in the environment. This idea was very important, for it required a great leap in rational thinking. If our environment were static, then evolution due to adaptations would not occur. Lamarck felt that acquired characteristics in a parent animal were somehow inherited by the offspring. In the face of contradictory evidence, Lamarck was not able to support this theory well enough to explain the theory of evolution. This is where Charles Darwin developed his theory of natural selection. . Previous Section: Origin of Life | Next Section: Realm of Ecology
|