Question

What are flaws in Lamarck's hypothesis?

A) It failed to consider the role of environmental factors in evolution and didn't provide a mechanism for how acquired traits are inherited.

B) It accurately explained the process of natural selection and supported the idea that traits could evolve rapidly.

C) It suggested that species are static and unchanging and that all evolution is guided by an intelligent force.

D) It proposed that all traits are heritable through DNA and that acquired traits are always beneficial to an organism.

Answer 1

Lamarck's hypothesis was flawed because it proposed that acquired traits could be inherited, did not consider the role of environmental factors in evolution, and lacked a mechanism for genetic inheritance of these traits.

Step-by-step explanation:

The flaws in Lamarck's hypothesis stem from the proposition that acquired traits could be inherited. This hypothesis, known as Lamarckian inheritance, suggested, for example, that if a giraffe stretched its neck to reach higher leaves, its offspring would inherit a longer neck. However, this contradicts our modern understanding of genetics and evolution. The key issues with Lamarck's theory are that it:

• Does not account for the environmental factors impacting evolution.
• Provides no mechanism for how acquired traits could be genetically passed to the next generation.
• Assumes that all acquired traits would be beneficial and heritable.

Contemporary research has shown that while epigenetics can influence how genes are expressed and can indeed be affected by environmental factors, this does not equate to the inheritance of acquired physical traits as Lamarck proposed.