(L7) - Evolution-Lamarckism-Oct 25, 2019

Dr.
Sachin Kapur
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20+ years Teaching Experience
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Theories of Evolution
Lecture 7
Dr. Sachin Kapur 20+ years Teaching experience

M M.Phil, Phd 4,00,000 Students & Teachers Mentored
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Lamarckism or Lamarck’s theory of inheritance of acquired characters
Hugo de Vries’ mutation theory
Darwinism or Darwin’s theory of natural selection
Modern concept of evolution / Synthetic Theory of evolution

Lamarckism
➢ Lamarckism is the first theory of evolution, which was proposed by Jean

Baptiste de Lamarck, a French biologist.
➢ Although the outline of the theory was brought to notice in 1801, but his
famous book “Philosophic Zoologique” was published in 1809, in which he
discussed his theory in detail.
Lamarckism
Lamarck’s Propositions
➢ Internal Vital Force: All the living things and their component parts continually
increase due to internal vital force.
➢ Effect of Environment and New Needs: Environment influences all types of
organisms. A change in environment brings about changes in organisms. It
gives rise to new needs.
➢ New needs or desires produce new structures and change habits of the
organisms. Doctrine of desires is called appetency.
Lamarckism
Lamarck’s Propositions
➢ Use and Disuse of Organs: If an organ is constantly used it would be better

developed whereas disuse of organ results in its degeneration.
➢ Inheritance of Acquired Characters: Whatever character an individual acquires
in its life time due to internal vital force, effect of environment, new needs and
use and disuse of organs, they are transmitted to next generations.
➢ After several generations, the variations are accumulated up to such extent
that they give rise to new species.
Lamarckism Examples
Long neck of Giraffe
➢ Ancestors of giraffe had a small neck and forelimbs.

➢ They were living in places with little surface vegetation so they had to stretch
their neck and forelimbs to take the leaves for food, which resulted in the slight
elongation of these parts.
➢ Whatever they acquired in one generation was transmitted to the next
generation.
Lamarckism Examples
Webbed Toes of Aquatic Birds
➢ Aquatic birds like ducks have evolved from the terrestrial ancestors.
Lamarckism Examples
Disappearance of Limbs in Snakes
➢ Snakes have evolved from lizard like ancestors which had two pairs of limbs.
Lamarckism Examples
Flightless Birds
➢ The ancestors of these birds were capable of flying, but due to some
environmental factors they had plenty of food and were well protected.
➢ So they did not use their wings and that is why the latter became vestigial.
Lamarckism Examples
Deer
➢ Ancestors of deer were not having much speed in running, but as they needed
protection from other animals of that time they started running, due to which
present speed was achieved by the deer.
Lamarckism Examples
Cave Dwellers
➢ The ancestors of cave dwellers had normal eye sight.

➢ On account of living under continuous dark conditions, they lost their vision.
Lamarckism
Criticism
➢ The first proposition of the theory does not have any ground because there is
no vital force in organisms which increases their body parts.
➢ Environment affects animals but a new need does not forms new structures.
Lamarckism
Criticism
➢ Every character acquired by an organism during its lifetime is not passed on to

next generation.
➢ Mendel’s Laws of Inheritance and Weismann’s Theory of Continuity of
Germplasm discarded Lamarck’s concept of inheritance of acquired characters.
Criticism of Lamarckism
Theory of Continuity of Germplasm
➢ August Weismann, a German biologist, was the main opposer of the

inheritance of acquired characters.
➢ He put forward the theory of continuity of germplasm.
➢ According to Weismann, only characters influencing germ cells are inherited.
Criticism of Lamarckism
Theory of Continuity of Germplasm
➢ There is a continuity of germplasm (protoplasm of germ cells) but the

somatoplasm (protoplasm of somatic cells) is not transmitted to the next
generation hence it does not carry characters to next generation.
➢ Weismann cut off the tails of rats for as many as 22 generations and allowed
them to breed, but tailless rats were never born.
Lamarckism
Criticism
➢ Boring of pinna and nose is never inherited to the next generation.

➢ The wrestler’s powerful muscles are not transmitted to the offspring.
➢ European ladies wear tight waist garments in order to keep their waist slender
but their offspring at the time of birth have normal waists.
Lamarckism
Criticism
➢ Chinese women used to wear iron shoes in order to have small feet, but their
children at the time of birth have normal feet.
➢ Circumcision of penis is practiced in Jews and Muslims but it is not inherited to
the next generation.
Lamarckism
Evidences in Favour of the Inheritance of Acquired Characters
➢ Formation of Germ Cells from Somatic Cells:

○ In certain cases somatic cells can produce the germ cells, which is against
Weismann’s theory of continuity of germplasm.
○ This occurs in vegetative propagation in plants and regeneration in
animals.
Lamarckism
➢ Effect of Environment directly on Germ Cells:

○ Tower exposed the young developing Potato Beetles to extremes of
temperature and humidity at the time of the development of their
reproductive organs.
○ This did not produce any change in the beatles themselves.
○ Their offspring, however, had colour variations, which were passed on to
the succeeding generations.
○ Tower’s observations indicate direct effect of environment on germ cells.
Lamarckism
➢ Effect of Radiation:
○ Exposure of organisms to high energy radiations or feeding them with
mutagenic chemicals, produces sudden inheritable variations or
mutations.
○ For example, Auerbach et al obtained a number of mutations and
chromosome aberrations in Drosophila with the help of mustard gas.
Neo-Lamarckism
➢ Modified form of Lamarckism is called Neo-Lamarckism..

➢ Neo-Lamarckism proposes that
○ Environment does influence an organism and change its heredity.
○ At least some of the variations acquired by an individual can be passed
onto the offspring.
○ Internal vital force and appetency do not play any role in evolution.
○ Only those variations are passed on to the offspring which affect germ
cells or where somatic cells give rise to germ cells.
Differences between Lamarckism and Neo-Lamarckism
Lamarckism Neo-Lamarckism
It is the original theory given by Lamarck. It is a modification of the original theory of

Lamarck in order to make it more suitable to
modern knowledge.
The theory lays stress on internal vital force, Neo-Lamarckism does not give any importance
appetency and use/disuse of organs. to these factors.
It believes that change in environment brings The theory stresses on the direct effect of
about a conscious reaction in animals. changed environment on the organisms.
According to Lamarckism the acquired Only those modifications are transferred to the
characters are passed onto the next generation. next generation which influence germ cells or
where somatic cells give rise to germ cells.
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Dr.

20+ years Teaching Experience

4,00,000 Students &

Dr. Sachin Kapur 20+ years Teaching experience

Lamarckism or Lamarck’s theory of inheritance of acquired characters

Hugo de Vries’ mutation theory

Darwinism or Darwin’s theory of natural selection

Modern concept of evolution / Synthetic Theory of evolution

➢ Lamarckism is the first theory of evolution, which was proposed by Jean

➢ Use and Disuse of Organs: If an organ is constantly used it would be better

Long neck of Giraffe

➢ Ancestors of giraffe had a small neck and forelimbs.

Webbed Toes of Aquatic Birds

Disappearance of Limbs in Snakes

➢ The ancestors of cave dwellers had normal eye sight.

➢ Every character acquired by an organism during its lifetime is not passed on to

Theory of Continuity of Germplasm

➢ August Weismann, a German biologist, was the main opposer of the

Theory of Continuity of Germplasm

➢ There is a continuity of germplasm (protoplasm of germ cells) but the

➢ Boring of pinna and nose is never inherited to the next generation.

Evidences in Favour of the Inheritance of Acquired Characters

➢ Formation of Germ Cells from Somatic Cells:

Evidences in Favour of the Inheritance of Acquired Characters

➢ Effect of Environment directly on Germ Cells:

Evidences in Favour of the Inheritance of Acquired Characters

➢ Modified form of Lamarckism is called Neo-Lamarckism..

It is the original theory given by Lamarck. It is a modification of the original theory of

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