A professional athlete undergoes years of intensive physical conditioning, resulting in significantly enlarged skeletal muscles and increased lung capacity. Based on the fundamental postulates of Lamarck's theory of evolution, which of the following outcomes would be predicted for this athlete's offspring?
- They would naturally inherit larger muscles and increased lung capacity at birth without needing to undergo physical conditioning.Answer
- BThey would only develop larger muscles if environmental pressures in their generation make physical strength advantageous for survival.
- CThey would inherit normal baseline physical traits because modifications acquired in somatic tissues during a parent's life cannot alter germ cells.
- DThey would possess specific genetic mutations in their gametes induced directly by the physical strain of exercise.
Answer
The offspring would naturally inherit larger muscles and increased lung capacity at birth without needing physical conditioning.
The correct option accurately reflects Lamarck's postulate of the 'Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics.' Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed that structural modifications acquired by an organism through frequent organ use or environmental response during its lifetime are directly transmitted to its offspring.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics