Theory of inheritance of acquired characters was given bya)Wallaceb)La...
Theory of acquired inheritance was given by Lamarck,it was later rejected as it was found that changes in somatic characters don't bring about a change in genetic ones,I.e if you cut tails of parent mice,the young one will not be born without a tail,genetic changes are not made by acquired physical changes
Theory of inheritance of acquired characters was given bya)Wallaceb)La...
Explanation:
Theory of Inheritance of Acquired Characters:
The theory of inheritance of acquired characters was proposed by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. This theory suggests that an organism can pass on characteristics that it has acquired during its lifetime to its offspring. Lamarck believed that organisms can change in response to their environment and these changes can be inherited by the next generation.
Lamarck's Explanation:
Lamarck proposed that organisms have an innate drive to become more complex and perfect. He believed that when an organism experiences a change in its environment, it adapts to these changes through the use or disuse of specific organs. These changes are then passed on to the offspring.
Example:
An example often used to explain Lamarck's theory is the giraffe. According to Lamarck, giraffes developed long necks by stretching to reach leaves high in trees. This acquired characteristic of a longer neck was then passed on to their offspring.
Comparison with other scientists:
While Lamarck's theory was influential at the time, it was later replaced by Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection. Darwin's theory focused on the idea that beneficial traits are selected for and passed on through generations. August Weismann's experiments also provided evidence against Lamarck's theory.
In conclusion, the theory of inheritance of acquired characters proposed by Lamarck was an early attempt to explain evolution. However, it has been largely discredited in favor of modern evolutionary theories.
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