Let me share with you a differences between Lamarckism and Darwinism.
| Aspect | Lamarckism | Darwinism |
| Founder | Jean-Baptiste Lamarck | Charles Darwin |
| Basic Tenets
| · Use and Disuse: Traits are acquired or lost based on an organism’s use or disuse during its lifetime. · Inheritance of Acquired Traits: Acquired traits are passed on to offspring. | · Natural Selection: Traits that enhance survival and reproduction are more likely to be passed on to the next generation. · Descent with Modification: Species change over time through the accumulation of small, heritable variations. |
| Mechanism of evolution | Inheritance of acquired characteristics. | Natural selection acting on heritable variations. |
| Role of environment | External environment directly influences the development of traits. | Environment acts as a selective pressure on existing traits, shaping the population over generations. |
| Time scale of changes | Changes can occur within an individual’s lifetime and be inherited relatively quickly. | Changes accumulate over long periods, requiring many generations for noticeable effects. |
| Fossil Record support | Limited support from the fossil record. | Supported by a wealth of evidence from the fossil record. |
| Inheritance of acquired traits | Acquired traits acquired during an organism’s lifetime can be passed on to offspring. | Traits are inherited through genetic information, and changes occur through the accumulation of genetic variations. |
| Adaptation mechanism | Traits are adapted based on the needs of the organism during its lifetime. | Traits are adapted through the differential reproductive success of individuals with advantageous variations. |
| Books | Philosophie Zoologique (1809) | On the Origin of Species (1859) |