APBI 200 Lecture Notes - Binomial Nomenclature, Carl Linnaeus, Georges Cuvier
Document Summary
What he found about geographic distribution of species: Two main points of the theory of evolution. Natural selection a population of organisms changes over generations if they are inheriting certain genes that allow them to leave more offspring (higher fitness) All life is part of a ladder of life". Rocks, plants, lower animals, higher animals, humans, god. Old testament: all species are created individually and are non-evolving. In the 1700s, natural theology study nature to classify things on the ladder of life. Wanted to classify everything made binomial nomenclature. Sought to discover order in the diversity of life. Did not imply relationships between species, although other people that came after him would do so using his information. New layers of rock cover old ones and are compressed into strata. Some species disappear from one strata to the next. Found that species from tropical regions of south america were more related to species from temperate south america than tropical africa.
