Jean-Baptiste de Monet, Chevalier de Lamarck

Jean-Baptiste de Monet, Chevalier de Lamarck (1744–1829), was a French naturalist known for his early ideas on evolution. He proposed that organisms change over time through use and disuse of body parts, and that these changes could be passed down to their offspring—a concept called Lamarckism. Although his specific theories were later replaced by Darwin’s natural selection, Lamarck was important for emphasizing that species are not fixed and can evolve. His work helped lay the foundation for understanding biological change, shaping future studies in evolutionary biology.