Evolution is one of the most significant topics biology has because it clearly shows

evidence and life patterns, which is very essence. However, there are still debates on the
true origin of life forms scientifically or religiously. But with the many complexities and
intricacies this living world has, it may be safe for us to say that there is a powerful being
responsible for its creation. And we, as part of that creation, can only do as much as survive
and coexist with one another. As we coexist and find answers to the questions of our past,
we also move forward and adapt to our ever-changing environment for survival.

As Charles Darwin says, "Thus, from the war of nature, famine, and death, the most
exalted object we can conceive, namely, the production of the higher animals, directly
follows. There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally
breathed into a few forms or one; and that, while this planet has gone cycling on according
to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most
wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.", there is beauty in this changing existence
that has emerged from one because we see forms unimaginable but traceable from its very
roots, a very simple living organism.

This lesson focuses on the theories that emerged as several curious people tried to
study the evolution of life forms on Earth. Read along and discover the proponents of
evolutionary theories and their significant contributions.

Before diving into the learning content, fire up your brain as you answer the
sciesomething:

Understanding evolution helps us solve biological problems that impact our lives.
There are excellent examples of this in the field of medicine. To stay one step ahead of
pathogenic diseases, researchers must understand the evolutionary patterns of disease-
causing organisms. To control hereditary diseases in people, researchers study the
evolutionary histories of the disease-causing genes. In these ways, knowledge of evolution
can improve the quality of human life.

Romans 12:2 stated that "Do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the
will of God, what is
good and acceptable and perfect. " Shifting your patterns and focus can change your life. This
verse is about renewing your mind changing the way you think to create a better life for
yourself and a life that honors God. The world and society have patterns or ways that lead to
a broken life. These patterns are easy to fall into and can be challenging to transform. The
patterns or routines are often performed mindlessly, without considering our actions or
consequences; however, we are not stuck with them. In connection to evolution as our topic
this week, we can see as we go along to our discussion the patterns on how ideas and
concepts about evolution were formed and how these concepts change and contribute to
the standard and specific approach of understanding evolution and its essentiality to us.

As we move on with the lesson, let's first look into this timeline of the history of life
on Earth.

least
3.5 to 4 billion years ago, and it has been evolving ever since. At first, all living things on Earth
were simple, single-celled organisms. Much later, the first multicellular organisms evolved,
and after that, Earth's biodiversity significantly increased.

This timeline shows the history of life on Earth. Humans are a relatively new addition
in the entire period. Today, the most accepted theory of life on Earth is evolution. There is a
vast amount of evidence supporting this theory. However, this wasn't always the case.
The earliest concepts of evolution did not start with Charles Darwin. In the 18th
century, many naturalists began to state the idea that life might not have been fixed since
creation. Paleontologists discovered many fossils that gave them a picture of the past. Their
discoveries made them more interested in the evolution of organisms and their
environment.
Table I shows a timeline of how evolutionary thought developed.
Scientists Ideas/Concepts/Contributions
17th Century

John Ray (1627-1705) He established the modem concept of a species, noting that
members of one species do not interbreed with members of
another species.
 18th Century

Carl Linnaeus also He developed the modem taxonomic system that is still used
called Carolus Linnaeus today.
(1707— 1798)
Georges Louis Lecler He wrote a 36-volume Histoire Naturelle (Natural History) series.
Comte de c, He contributed to the debate on the age of Earth. He also
Buffon (1707 considered the role of vestigial organs, creating a possibility of
1788) — species descending from earlier organisms.
Erasmus (1731 He was Charles Darwin's grandfather. He was aware that the
Darwin — modem organisms are different from the fossils scientists have
1802) collected. He believed that the offspring inherited features from
their parents and that the organisms today descended from a
common ancestor
Georges (1769 He studied and wrote books on comparative anatomy, which
Cuvier — were extremely useful in interpreting the remains of fossils. His
1832) studies about fossils contributed and gave rise to the science of
paleontology. Finally, he recognized that particular groups of fossil
organisms were associated with certain rock strata
Jean-Baptiste Lamar He proposed that individuals were able to pass on their traits to
(1744—1829) ck their offspring
James Hutton (1726— He made a significant contribution to understanding the
1797) geological processes that shaped Earth. He recognized that Earth
is ancient (more than millions of years) and that there was no
need for global catastrophes to shape the surface of Earth. He was
the proponent of uniformitarianism.
19th Century
Charles Lyell (1797— He considered shaping the Earth's surface due to gradual long-
1875) term natural changes. He also collected many pieces of evidence
to support the principle of uniformitarianism. He wrote about
them in his book Principles of Geology.
Charles Robert Darwin He came up with the idea that the best-adapted organisms are
(1809-1882) those that can survive to breed and pass on their traits to their
offspring.
Alfred Russell Wallace Though he made an independent study on the origin of
(1823-1913) organisms, Wallace arrived at the same conclusion as Darwin's.
that organisms with favorable traits are those that carry on to the
next generation.
 The above table shows the list of the different contributions of scientists to the

development of evolution from the 17th century to the 19th century. This period flourishes
evolutionary ideas, especially these two prominent individuals: Charles Darwin and Jean-
Baptiste Lamarck.

Charles Darwin and his Theory of Evolution

l. Charles Darwin contributed significant
ideas to our current understanding of evolution.
He was bom in England on 12 February 1809. In
1831, Darwin went aboard the H.M.S. Beagle in
its voyage around the world.

Darwin read scientific books every time he traveled

collected plant and animal specimens as evidence. He
recorded many of his observations, which served as
hypotheses on how life changes over time. He was well
educated, and he had a strong interest in natural history
that made him excited to study the diversity of life on Earth.

Throughout his travels, Darwin began to see

intriguing patterns in the distribution and features of
organisms. We can see some of the most critical patterns

7
2
 Darwin noticed in the distribution of organisms by looking at his observations of the
Galåpagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador.

Darwin wrote and published a book titled "On the Origin of

Species. " He proposed the now-famous theory of evolution by natural
selection. He then presented evidence demonstrating this process for
millions of years. Darwin's concept of natural selection was based on 'I'llE ORIGIN OF SPECIES
several key observations: (1) traits are often heritable, (2) more BY MEANS OF SKI,ECT10N.

offspring are produced than can survive, and (3) offspring vary in their
heritable traits. ov rx •rue

Darwin also tried to explain how evolution occurs naturally. With

the help of what he learned from Thomas Malthus, an English oxuW'*.
economist, Darwin realized that high birth rates and a shortage of life's
basic needs would eventually force organisms into competition for
resources. The struggle for existence means that members of each
species compete to obtain food, living space, and other necessities of
life. More robust and faster people can hunt for food and protect LOSOos.
themselves from their enemies in this struggle. This struggle for
existence was vital to Darwin's theory of evolution.
httpsWenwikipedia.org/wi es

Why is being fit in your habitat necessary for

your survival?

(91 lt. I

id you know that.....

, Darwin (1809—1882) did not use "survival of the fittest" to summarize his theory.
Instead, the philosopher Herbert Spencer (1820—1903) coined the phrase.

2. Charles Darwin did not develop his theory of evolution while at the Galapagos Islands.
His ideas came later, after his return from the voyage.
://www.factretriever.com/evolution -facts

2. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and His Theory of Evolution

 Aside from Charles Darwin, Jean-Baptiste
Lamarck, a French naturalist, was one of the first
scientists to recognize that living things have
changed. He proposed that all species descended
from other species. In 1809, Lamarck published his
theory of how organisms changed over time.

a. Theory of Use and Disuse

According to the theory of use and disuse,
organisms could alter the size, shape, or
structure of body parts or organs by continuously using them in new ways.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jea n-
Baptiste_Lamarck
Keep stretching

Original neek to reach and

Lamarck proposed that short-neeked leaves higher stretch ing

ancestor up on tree
giraffes used to have short necks.
However, their increase in
population caused a shortage in
their food supply on the ground;
thus, they tried to eat the leaves on
the trees to survive. As Lamarck
proposed, giraffes needed to stretch
their necks to reach these leaves.
Such continuous stretching overtime
enabled the next generation
n•a he ritance-of-acqu
of giraffes to have longer necks. ired•character•
class-12-biology-cb se-5f/44e2c5868S84186 c28112
Further, the theory of disuse states that if an
animal chooses not to use its body part, that body part or
organ would eventually decrease in size for several
generations until it finally disappears. An example of this
is the vestigial limb structures found in snakes.

Do you believe in the theory of use of disuse?

Comment your thoughts below..

SOMCTHINC!
https]/ commons.wikimedia.org/wiküFiIe:Rudimentary_hindIeg pa_constrictor_snake_jpg

b. Theory of Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics

The theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics
states that organisms inherit their traits from their parents and that they may also pass them
on to the next generation of offspring. One good example that illustrates this process is the
presence of long trunks in elephants. Lamarck believed that the ancestors of elephants had
short trunks. As ancestral elephants struggled for food and water, their trunks stretched to
reach the water and branches. Their offspring eventually inherited the trait for long trunks.

Lamarck's theories of use, disuse, and inheritance of acquired characteristics proved

example, about elephants was quite different from Darwin's.

So, these are the contributions of these two scientists who gave a clearer view of how
evolution works. Evolution is evident due to the changes
to the population comprising different individuals or
organisms given by God. May we all be a person who
values His creation and be an instrument in inspiring
other people to be a steward of nature. May we be
guided through this verse from John I "Through him, all
things were made; without him, nothing was made that
has been made." Although only one sentence, this verse
tells us a piece of essential information: God is the one
who created all things in the universe and the one who
rules over all things. Not a single thing doesn't live
according to the laws established by God. We should,
therefore, be a steward to the creations of God since we are the ones who are benefiting
from these creations.

In this second week of General Biology 2, you could refresh your minds about the
different scientists and their contributions to evolution.

Here are the things you need to take note of for this week:
• Scientists with contributions to evolution are the following:
17th Century
John Ray (1625-1705)
18th Century
Carl Linnaeus also called Carolus Linnaeus (1707— 1798)
Georges Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707— 1788)
Erasmus Darwin (1731—1802)
Georges Cuvier (1769—1832)
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744—1829)
James Hutton (1726—1797) v/
19th Century
Charles Lyell (1797—1875)
Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882)
Alfred Russell Wallace (1823-1913)
• Charles Darwin was a British biologist who proposed the natural selection
hypothesis of biological evolution.
• Darwin postulated natural selection as a process for evolution. Because natural
resources are finite, organisms with heritable features that benefit survival and
reproduction will tend to leave more offspring than their contemporaries,
Increasing the frequency of the traits over generations.
• Over time, natural selection leads populations to grow more acclimated to their
environments or more well-suited. Natural selection is influenced by the
environment and necessitates the presence of heritable variation within a group.
• Jean-Baptiste Lamarck: theory of use and disuse, organisms could alter the size,
shape, or structure of particular body parts or organs by continuously using them
in new ways.
The theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics states that organisms inherit
their traits from their parents and that they may also pass them on to the next
generation of offspring.
-end-