Which two ideas proposed by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck most significantly influenced Charles Darwin's theory of evolution?

• A. Natural selection and genetic drift drive evolution
• B. Inheritance of acquired characteristics and use and disuse of organs
• C. All species were created independently and remain unchanged
• D. Species change over time and adaptation to the environment occurs

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the context: Jean-Baptiste Lamarck was an early evolutionary thinker who proposed ideas about how species change over time. His theories significantly influenced later scientists, including Charles Darwin.
2. Identify Lamarck's key ideas: Lamarck proposed two main concepts: (1) the inheritance of acquired characteristics, where traits developed during an organism's lifetime could be passed to offspring, and (2) the use and disuse of organs, where organs that are frequently used become stronger and more developed, while unused organs deteriorate.
3. Compare Lamarck's ideas to Darwin's theory: Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection emphasized that species change over time due to differential survival and reproduction of individuals with advantageous traits. Lamarck's ideas about adaptation to the environment align with Darwin's concept of species changing over time.
4. Clarify the distinction: While Lamarck's mechanism for how traits are passed on (inheritance of acquired characteristics) was later disproven, his broader idea that species adapt to their environment and change over time influenced Darwin's thinking.
5. Conclude the connection: The two ideas from Lamarck that most significantly influenced Darwin were the concepts that species change over time and that adaptation to the environment occurs, even though Darwin developed a different mechanism (natural selection) to explain these processes.