Darwin's theory of natural selection really changed the way we think about evolution compared to Lamarck's ideas. Let’s break this down in an easy way.
First, what did Lamarck say?
Lamarck thought that living things could pass on traits they developed during their lives to their kids. This idea is called "inheritance of acquired characteristics." For example, he believed that if a giraffe stretched its neck to reach higher leaves, its babies would have longer necks too.
Now, let's look at what Darwin said about evolution. He introduced natural selection, which works differently:
Variation: In any group of living things, there are differences in their traits. For instance, some giraffes are taller than others.
Struggle for Existence: Living things compete for things they need, like food and mates. In our giraffe example, those with longer necks can eat leaves that others can't reach. This helps them survive.
Survival of the Fittest: The living things that have traits that work well in their environment are more likely to live longer and have babies. Over time, these good traits will show up more often in the group.
Inheritance: Unlike Lamarck, Darwin said that traits are passed down based on genetics, not just by what parents do in their lives. So, if a long-necked giraffe survives and has babies, those babies will have long necks because of their genes, not because the parent stretched its neck.
This change from Lamarck's idea to Darwin's natural selection was a big deal. It showed that random changes and genetic differences are important in evolution, instead of just changes that happen from trying to adapt.
In short, while Lamarck thought traits could be gained through use, Darwin taught us that evolution happens through natural selection. This means that genetic differences decide which living things survive and have babies. This important discussion helped shape modern biology and shows how our understanding can change over time!
Darwin's theory of natural selection really changed the way we think about evolution compared to Lamarck's ideas. Let’s break this down in an easy way.
First, what did Lamarck say?
Lamarck thought that living things could pass on traits they developed during their lives to their kids. This idea is called "inheritance of acquired characteristics." For example, he believed that if a giraffe stretched its neck to reach higher leaves, its babies would have longer necks too.
Now, let's look at what Darwin said about evolution. He introduced natural selection, which works differently:
Variation: In any group of living things, there are differences in their traits. For instance, some giraffes are taller than others.
Struggle for Existence: Living things compete for things they need, like food and mates. In our giraffe example, those with longer necks can eat leaves that others can't reach. This helps them survive.
Survival of the Fittest: The living things that have traits that work well in their environment are more likely to live longer and have babies. Over time, these good traits will show up more often in the group.
Inheritance: Unlike Lamarck, Darwin said that traits are passed down based on genetics, not just by what parents do in their lives. So, if a long-necked giraffe survives and has babies, those babies will have long necks because of their genes, not because the parent stretched its neck.
This change from Lamarck's idea to Darwin's natural selection was a big deal. It showed that random changes and genetic differences are important in evolution, instead of just changes that happen from trying to adapt.
In short, while Lamarck thought traits could be gained through use, Darwin taught us that evolution happens through natural selection. This means that genetic differences decide which living things survive and have babies. This important discussion helped shape modern biology and shows how our understanding can change over time!