Carolus Linnaeus Taxonomy: the ordering of the natural world Question: How did relationships come to exist?

Catastrophism (the only explanation for change) The world began perfect Change explained through major disasters (Catastrophies) on a scale not seen today. Examples: Noah’s flood

Thomas Malthus Economist, concerned with Overpopulation in Europe’s cities Law of Biotic Potential Orginisms will maximize their production of offspring. More will be born than can survive What determines which will survive???

Inheritance of acquired characteristics

Darwin’s Finches Adaptation Environment plays a role in shaping a species

Natural Selection (Darwin and Wallace) Requirements: 1. variation within a species 2. more offspring produced than needed to assure continuance of the species 3. environmental factors that favor one variation over another

Mendelian Genetics Austrian priest Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) carried out an extensive series of experiments in plant breeding. His carefully tabulated results provided the basis of what we know about the mechanisms of genetic inheritance.

Mendelian Genetics Figure 2.8: The seven phenotypic characteristics investigated by Gregor Mendel in his experiments on breeding in pea plants. Each of the seven traits has two distinct phenotypes.