INHERITANCE OF ACQUIRED TRAITS Meaning and
Definition
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The concept of inheritance of acquired traits, also known as Lamarckism or Lamarckian inheritance, refers to a now-discredited theory proposed by the French biologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in the early 19th century. According to this theory, an organism can pass on acquired qualities or characteristics acquired during its lifetime to its offspring.
Lamarck argued that an organism could modify its traits through its own experiences or needs, and these modifications would then be inherited by subsequent generations. For instance, if a giraffe continuously stretched its neck to reach leaves in high trees, Lamarck posited that this acquired longer neck would be passed on to its offspring. In other words, the changes within an organism's lifetime would become permanent heritable traits.
However, this theory has been largely rejected by the scientific community and replaced by the theory of natural selection proposed by Charles Darwin. The principle of natural selection asserts that traits are inherited through genes, passed down from parent to offspring, and not through environmental or acquired factors. Modern genetics and biology have revealed that genetic information is transmitted through DNA and that changes in DNA, which occur randomly through mutation, are responsible for genetic variations and adaptations in a population.
In summary, the concept of inheritance of acquired traits refers to the discredited idea that modifications acquired by an organism during its lifetime can be inherited by its offspring.
