Final Answer:
Alfred Russel Wallace emphasized the role of natural selection in shaping past evolution, proposing that environmental factors drove adaptive changes in species.
Step-by-step explanation:
Alfred Russel Wallace, a contemporary of Charles Darwin, contributed significantly to evolutionary theory. He acknowledged the importance of natural selection in shaping the evolutionary process. Wallace proposed that environmental factors played a crucial role in determining the survival and adaptation of species over time.
He suggested that species evolved and adapted in response to the challenges posed by their environments. Wallace's key idea revolved around the concept of adaptation driven by natural selection.
He emphasized that species with advantageous traits, better suited for survival in their respective environments, were more likely to thrive and pass on these favorable traits to their offspring. This process, according to Wallace, led to the gradual evolution and diversification of species over time.
His views on evolution were closely aligned with Darwin's theory of natural selection. However, Wallace's emphasis on the role of environmental pressures as the primary driver of adaptation helped further shape and refine the understanding of how species evolve.
His contributions laid a strong foundation for the study of evolutionary biology and continue to influence scientific thinking about the mechanisms underlying the diversity of life on Earth.