History of Genetics in Evolution

Joe Felsenstein

GENOME 453, Autumn 2011

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.1/41

The Great Chain of Being

Going back as far as the Ancient Greeks, a linear hierarchy of life formswas assumed, with inanimate objects at the bottom and deities at the top:

DeityAngelsManMammalsBirdsReptilesAmphibiansFishInsectsWormsProtistsRocks

Issues: placement of birds, insects not obvious. A scale of complexity? Orwhat?

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.2/41

Karl Linné (Carolus Linnaeus) (1707-1778)

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.3/41

Monophyly

Monophyletic: having a common ancestor which is not the ancestor of anyof the other species being discussed.

(This definition works for cases where there are fossil forms beingincluded, and those where they are not, and works whether we arediscussing only a fixed set of species or all species descended from someancestor.)

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.4/41

Aphylogeny

oftheliving

Craniata

Mammals

Birds

Crocodilians

Snakes, Lizards

Turtles

Frogs

Salamanders

Lungfish

Coelacanth

Sharks, Rays

Lamprey

Hagfish

Amphioxus

Most fishes

History

ofGenetics

inE

volution–

p.5/41

Vertebrates

area

monophyletic

group

Mammals

Birds

Crocodilians

Snakes, Lizards

Turtles

Frogs

Salamanders

Lungfish

Coelacanth

Sharks, Rays

Lamprey

Hagfish

Amphioxus

The vertebrates

Most fishes

History

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volution–

p.6/41

Reptiles

andfishes

areparaphyletic

groups

Mammals

Birds

Crocodilians

Snakes, Lizards

Turtles

Frogs

Salamanders

Lungfish

Coelacanth

Sharks, Rays

Lamprey

Hagfish

Amphioxus

Osteichtyes

Reptiles

Most fishes

History

ofGenetics

inE

volution–

p.7/41

An American in Paris (2005)

Wandering east of the Panthéon on the Left Bank of Paris, you begin tonotice unusual street names:

A street named for Linnaeus? This only hints at a little-known story.

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.8/41

Buffon

George-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707-1788)

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.9/41

Statue of Buffon at the Jardin des Plantes

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Buffon, honored

Rue Buffon, next to the Jardin des Plantes(with plastic mastodon, Golden Arches, traffic ticket)

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.11/41

Lamarck

Jean Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, Chevalier de Lamarck (1744-1829)

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.12/41

Lamarck’s tree

As published in Philosophie Zoologique, 1809Can you identify some of the groups? “M.” means mammals

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.13/41

Lamarck’s mechanism for evolutionIn Philosophie Zoologique, 1809.

Organisms’ characters are altered by the effects of use and disuse.

These changes are passed on to descendants by inheritance ofacquired characters.

Note that Lamarck did not originate “Lamarckian inheritance": it wassomething everyone believed in at that time.

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.14/41

Old displays in the Museum of Natural History, Paris

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.15/41

Statue of Lamarck in the Jardin des Plantes, Paris

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Lamarck’s works listed

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“My father, you will be vindicated”

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Buffon’s (and Lamarck’s) house next to the Museum

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.19/41

Plaque on house commemorating Buffon

“George Louis Leclerc, Count of Buffon, born in Montbard, 7 September 1707,director of the Royal Botanical Garden from 1739 on, died in this house, 16April 1788”

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.20/41

Plaque on house commemorating Lamarck

“Jean Baptiste Lamarck, born in Bazentin Le Petit, 1 August 1744, Professorat the Museum, Author of the first theory of evolution, lived in this house from1795 on, died on the 18th of December 1829”

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.21/41

Geoffroy versus Cuvier

Etienne Geoffroy St.Hilaire(1772-1844)

Georges LèopoleChrètienFrèdèric Dagobert,Baron Cuvier(1769-1832)

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.22/41

Memorials in Paris

Fountain on corner of Rue Cuvier,Rue Linné and Rue Cuvier along side of fountain(“Á GEORGES CUVIER”) and side of Jardin des Plantes

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.23/41

Allee Cuvier, within the Jardin

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.24/41

Rue Geoffroy St. Hilaire

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.25/41

Paris: Rue Lamarck and Rue Darwin

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.26/41

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.27/41

Goethe (1790) on the origin of parts of flowers

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.28/41

The Naturphilosophen

Monkey

Mouse

Fish

Amphibian

Ape Ape

Monkey

Mouse

Reptile Reptile

Amphibian

Fish

common developmental pathway evolutionary tree

The and Evolutionary views Naturphilosophen

Great Chain of Being

Note − The picture here is very much a

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.29/41

Robert Chambers discusses evolution in 1844

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.30/41

Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.31/41

Wallace

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) in 1869

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.32/41

Lamarck’s theory versus Darwin’s

Lamarck Darwin/WallaceGenetic variation important? No YesDifferential survival or reproduction? No YesMutations are in what direction? adaptive randomPhenotypic changes inherited? Yes maybe

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.33/41

Fleeming Jenkin

Fleeming Jenkin (1833-1885) Fleeming Jenkin BuildingUniversity of Edinburgh

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.34/41

Blending inheritance and selection

0

2

4

8

10

0 10 20 30 40

Value of character

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.35/41

The Biometricians

Francis Galton (1822-1911) Karl Pearson (1857-1936)

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.36/41

Gregor Mendel (1822-1884)

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.37/41

Mendel in his school

The faculty of Mendel’s monastery school(Mendel is top center-right with flower)

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.38/41

Rediscoverers of Mendel

Carl Correns Erich von Tschermak-Seysenegg Hugo De Vries

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.39/41

Founders of theoretical population genetics

R. A. Fisher J. B. S. Haldane Sewall Wright

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.40/41

Developers and popularizers of the Neodarwinian Synthesis

Ernst Mayr George Gaylord Simpson Sir Julian Huxley

G. Ledyard Stebbins Theodosius Dobzhansky

History of Genetics in Evolution – p.41/41