Module 2.2 Larmarckism

    Best known for his Theory of Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics, Lamarck believed that if an organism changes during its lifetime in order to adapt to its environment, those changes will be passed on to future generations. One of his most famous examples was that of how giraffes got such a long neck. He said that because giraffes often stretched their necks in order to obtain their food, their offspring and further generations adapted to these inconveniences and inherited longer necks over time.

    Alive from 1744-1829, Jean Baptiste Lamarck believed that living organisms evolved in a continuous upward direction. Anywhere from small organisms, large organisms, to simple or complex forms and more. He thought that they were all moving towards perfection and that species did not die out from extinction but rather they changed into other species. Also, Lamarck believed that organisms altered their behavior in accordance with environmental changes which, in turn, modified their organs and allowed the species to pass on these improved structures to their offspring. If an organ or structure was no longer of use by a specific organism, then Lamarck believed that it would just shrink or disappear. 

    Many of Lamarck's theories and ideas are still held to be true today, while others, not so much. It's still known today that species do change in order to adapt to their environments. With that being said, there is not always an upward trend in the evolution towards the perfect species. technically cancer and other types of fatal disease are a form of evolution even though they cause hard to the individual. Also, another instance where Lamarck's theory does not relevantly continue to apply is the idea that if an organ or structure no longer has a purpose, it will eventually shrink or disappear. Many species, including humans, continue to have unneeded organs such as the appendix that just continues to remain in our genome. All in all, Lamarck had a great start on theories about evolution that still remain relevant today but over the more recent years, we have concluded that not all of his theories were held to be true.

CITATIONS

New England Complex Systems Institute. 2019. What Lamarck Believed — New England Complex Systems Institute. [online] Available at: <https://necsi.edu/what-lamarck-believed> [Accessed 12 February 2021].

C. (2021). Evolution: Library: Jean Baptiste Lamarck. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/02/3/l_023_01.html#:~:text=Unlike%20Darwin%2C%20Lamarck%20believed%20that,they%20changed%20into%20other%20species.