Final answer:
The concept that species change in form over generations and experience descent with modification refers to the theory of evolution by natural selection. This opposes the static view of species and is underpinned by processes such as mutation, natural selection, and speciation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The perspective that suggests species change in form over generations and that there is descent with modification refers to the theory of evolution by natural selection. This concept is critical to understanding how species evolve from common ancestors and diversify over time. Descent with modification is an essential phrase used by scientists to describe the evolutionary process where related organisms share many characteristics and genetic codes, but also experience changes as they adapt over generations. This concept directly opposes the idea of species being static and unchanging, a view once held in Western thought and grounded in the writings of Plato. The phylogenetic tree of life is a visual representation that illustrates these evolutionary relationships and changes. According to Darwin and other evolutionary theorists, natural selection is the mechanism that explains why certain traits become more common in a population over time.
Early evolutionists challenged the static view of species, setting the foundation for modern evolutionary biology. Evolution involves key processes such as mutation, natural selection, and speciation, and it is defined as a change in the allele frequency within a gene pool, leading to changes in organisms' morphology over time. Contemporary biological anthropologists and evolutionary theorists draw on these principles to understand the development of life on Earth, and this perspective has important implications for how we understand the history and diversity of species.