BIO 370 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Erasmus Darwin, James Hutton, Catastrophism
Lecture 1:
Scientific approach:
• Observations, evolutionary theory prediction from observations, how do new
observations fit those predictions, new questions formulated?
• Science is an ongoing process.
Lecture 2:
• Scala Naturae: The Great Chain of Being
o Each species occupy a link in chain of progression towards perfection. Each
specific link on chain is fixed.
o Doesn’t show complexity and potential to change.
o Humans: hereditary characteristic appearing to be maladaptive as genetic
diseases.
o Missing link concept**: fossils are bridging evolutionary split b/w primates and
humans.
o Evolution: not in increasing perfection but adaptation to local conditions. Some
language still refers back to this great chain of being.
• Natural vs. Supernatural explanations:
o Aristotle: used a lot of logic and math to prove his hypotheses.
o Extended methodological naturalism: Greek philosophers tried to explain
things according to laws of Nature. This method of hypotheses can be tested,
whereas supernatural explanations cannot be tested.
o James Hutton: said Earth was very old bc the way rock Strata were aligned.
▪ Uniformitarianism (changes from continuous and uniform processes) in
both geology and biology.
• Pre-Darwinian Evolution:
o Erasmus Darwin: 1st to propose idea of evolutionary change. Understood all life
evolved from a single living filament. Anticipated aspects of Lamarckian
transformation and survival of the fittest.
▪ Identified fittest as strongest, most able. Struggle for existence =
organisms in constant struggle to get resources to produce offspring more
than those around them.
▪ Failed because he believed new traits were acquired during lifetime of
organisms, and couldn’t connect struggle for existence to evolutionary
changes.
o Robert Chambers: thought in terms of populations than individuals because
evolution occurs across population, not within 1 individual.
▪ Believed composition of species changed overtime, and changes are
gradual, unlinked to catastrophes.
o Lamarck: organisms are well suited to their environments, transformed
themselves to better fit their environment. Fits well in the Scala Naturae concept.
▪ Inheritance of acquired characteristics during lifetime of organisms.
▪ Transformatist. Individual evolution.
o Patrick Matthew: relied on natural selection and population thinking, based on
experiments.
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Scientific approach: observations, evolutionary theory prediction from observations, how do new observations fit those predictions, new questions formulated, science is an ongoing process. Lecture 2: scala naturae: the great chain of being, each species occupy a link in chain of progression towards perfection. Understood all life evolved from a single living filament. Anticipated aspects of lamarckian transformation and survival of the fittest. Inheritance of acquired characteristics during lifetime of organisms: transformatist. Individual evolution: patrick matthew: relied on natural selection and population thinking, based on experiments, organisms had limited resources, only some offspring can survive til reproduction. He thought environment stayed stable for a long time, natural selection works to maintain a certain allele for a long time, but a catastrophe can occur. Saw the larger context differently than darwin did: charles darwin"s theory, on the origin of species: how darwin tied everything together in terms of observations in natures and breeders, and tree of life so well.
