Jean-Baptiste Lamarck:传记、成就与不朽的遗产

In 1801, he published Système des animaux sans vertèbres, a major work on the classification of invertebrates, a term which he coined. In an 1802 publication, he became one of the first to use the term "biology" in its modern sense. Lamarck continued his work as a premier authority on invertebrate zoology. He is remembered, at least in malacology, as a taxonomist of considerable stature.

The modern era generally remembers Lamarck for a theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics, called Lamarckism (accurately named after him), soft inheritance, or use/disuse theory, which he described in his 1809 Philosophie zoologique. Though, the idea of soft inheritance antedates him, and while it was a small element of his theory of evolution, in his time it was accepted by many natural historians. Lamarck's idea of use/disuse later aligned with Darwin's idea of natural selection and is believe to in part have inspired Darwin, who ended up contradicting Lamarckism. Lamarck's contribution to evolutionary theory consisted of the first truly cohesive theory of biological evolution, in which an alchemical complexifying force drove organisms up a ladder of complexity, and a second environmental force adapted them to local environments through use and disuse of characteristics, differentiating them from other organisms. Scientists have debated whether advances in the field of transgenerational epigenetics mean that Lamarck was to an extent correct, or not.