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Grade & Section: GRADE 10

The current diversity of life on the planet is the result of the ongoing evolution that has started since
over billions of years ago. Earth changes constantly both as a celestial body that undergoes tectonic activity and
as a home to millions of live species existing together.
As the most intellectually-advanced species on the planet, humans are endowed with the ability to
recognize the grandeur of biodiversity and to study its intricacies from the molecular to the global level. Many
scientists in the past have wondered about and attempted to explain the changes, differences, and similarities
occurring in every living organism. The most well-known name in this study is Charles Darwin, who explained
evolutionary changes through a process known as natural selection.
In this chapter, discover how life on this planet transforms along with the passage of time by looking at
the scientific theories about evolution, its biological and ecological evidences, and its patterns throughout
history.
All organisms on Earth experience significant changes in their structures and behaviors throughout their
life cycles. In a matter of years, a single seed grows into a bush and an infant develops into a toddler. However,
such individual changes do not necessarily encompass the definition of biological evolution.
In biology, evolution involves large-scale transformations in the genetic characteristics of a population
of species; such transformations are passed from one generation to another over the course of time. When
scientists examine the evolution of a population, they study its ancestral background, habitat, distribution,
relationships with fellow organisms, and developmental changes at a molecular level. Through this effort, they
are able to prove the interdependence of all life on Earth and to trace the origins of organisms from a common
ancestor.
Early Theories of Evolution
Prior to Charles Darwin's theories on evolution, numerous thinkers, philosophers, and scientists have
pondered about the beginning of life on Earth. Some of them have fabricated stories and formulated theories as
to how it evolved throughout the course of history. The ideas and contributions of these great thinkers are
summarized in the table below.
Year Scientist Theory
Anaximander He theorized that all of life
(610 - 546 B.C.) emerged from a shapeless,
indeterminate matter called
apeiron, which was covered with
ocean water that contained slimes
from which plants and animals
originated. Eventually, some of
these early species moved to
terrestrial areas after exposure to
heat. He also believed that humans
descended from fish.
500 B.C. Xenophanes A student of Anaximander, he
(570 - 480 B.C.) studied the fossils of fish and
shells, and concluded that the world
formed out of the condensation of
water and a "primordial mud" from
which life came.
c. 450 B.C. Empedocles He postulated that life on Earth
(495 B.C. - 435 B.C.) came from the interplay of the four
major forces: fire, earth, water, and
air. He had also studied fossils of
some ancient species and
concluded that the interconnection
of the forces produced creatures
 consisting of disembodied organs
that amalgamated through the force
of love.
350 B.C. Aristotle He wrote the History of Animals,
(384 - 322 B.C.) wherein he explained that animals
on Earth originated from various
elements and an animating force
known as vital heat, or soul.
1758 Carolus Linnaeus (1707 - 1778) He became known for developing
taxonomy, a classification system
for all the identified species during
his time. He published it in a book
entitled Systema Natura. The
publication highlighted significant
evolutionary relationships among
various species.
1749 — 1788 George-Louis Leclerc, He theorized that species
Comte de Buffon (1707 - 1788) descended from a common
ancestor, explaining that evolution
was not an independent occurrence
in organisms. Leclerc published his
research in the thirty-six volume
encyclopedias Histoire Naturelle.
1770 Charles Bonnet (1720-1793) He believed that all female species
carried miniature forms of life that
are able to withstand any
catastrophic events. He further
suggested tha calamities rendered
evolutionary changes in every
being; with every catastrophic
experience, species climb one step
up the ladder of life and
becomemore intelligent throughout
time. Thus, primates evolved into
humans, and humans would evolve
into angels.
1794 - 1796 Erasmus Darwin (1731 - 1802) Bonnet's catastrophic theory
influenced Erasmus Darwin, who
theorized that all life originated
from a common ancestor which
eventually branched off into
various species, with more complex
biological structures emerging from
interactions of the less complex
ones. Erasmus Darwin was the
grandfather of Charles Darwin.
1809 Jean-Baptiste Lamarck He proposed that all organisms
(1744 - 1829) evolved towards perfection and
complexity through adaptation or
adjustment of organs according to
their needs.
These pre-Darwinian theories laid the foundation for a greater understanding of life's evolution and later
contributed to Darwin's formation of his own theory of natural selection. The most significant influences on
Darwin's ideas about evolution were the theories of Lamarck.
Lamarckism
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, a French naturalist, put forward important theories on evolution in his
publication Philosophie Zoologique, or Zoological Philosophy (1809). In his research, Lamarck proposed that
changes in an organism's characteristics happened gradually through a two-part process and evolved into
hereditary traits passed down through succeeding generations. Lamarck's theories were collectively called the
theory of transformation, otherwise known as Lamarckism.
Lamarckism revolves around the which main idea presented in Zoological Philosophy, which states that
physical structures, appearances, and behaviors of animals evolved in relation to their environmental and
external needs. Lamarck believed that animals transform as they adapted to their physical surroundings, and the
changes they had acquired altered their genetic sequence, such that these characteristics became inherent in their
offsprings.