Basics of Lamarck's Theory

Lamarck's theory of evolution consists of three major components; constant progression, spontaneous generation, and the theory of acquired traits.


The idea of constant progression means that every generation adapts its body to become more advanced than the previous generation. An organism's environment is the cause of the gradual development changes and is the cause of diversity.


The principle of spontaneous generation is the idea that living things originated directly from nonliving matter.

 Lamarck's theory of acquired characteristics states that an animal would pass along physiological changes that it had encountered in its lifetime to its offspring. These changes are a response to the animals survival needs, that then become habit for that species, and later inheritable traits.


Source: http://campus.udayton.edu/~hume/Lamarck/lamarck.htm