Question

Embryological support for evolution was proposed by :

• A. Ernst Heckel
• B. Karl Ernst von Baer
• C. Charles Darwin
• D. Alfred Wallace

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

To determine who proposed the embryological support for evolution, we need to look into the contributions made by each of the given scientists:

1. Ernst Haeckel: He is renowned for his work in suggesting the "Recapitulation Theory," often summarized by the phrase "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny." Haeckel's idea was that the development of an individual organism (ontogeny) follows the same progression as the evolutionary history of its species (phylogeny). His famous embryological drawings illustrated the similarities between embryos of different species, suggesting common ancestry, thus providing embryological support for evolution.
2. Karl Ernst von Baer: Known for "Baer's laws of embryology," he pointed out differences in embryo development across species. Von Baer rejected the recapitulation theory and focused on the development singularities of each embryo rather than Haeckel's similarities model.
3. Charles Darwin: He is widely known for his theory of natural selection as a mechanism of evolution. Although he discussed embryological aspects within his work, he did not propose it as a standalone support for evolution in the same way Haeckel did.
4. Alfred Wallace: A contemporary of Darwin, Wallace is known for independently conceiving the theory of evolution through natural selection. Like Darwin, he did not focus on embryological aspects as a primary support mechanism.

Given these points, the correct answer is Ernst Haeckel, as he specifically proposed that embryology provided support for evolutionary theory through his recapitulation theory.