10.4 Lamarckism and Single-Celled Organisms
While Lamarckism has been discredited as an evolutionary influence for larger life forms, some scientists controversially argue that it can be observed among microorganisms.
There is growing evidence that cells can activate low-fidelity DNA polymerases in times of stress to induce mutations. While this does not directly confer advantage to the organism on the organismal level, it makes sense at the gene-evolution level. While the acquisition of new genetic traits is random, and selection remains Darwinian, the active process of identifying the necessity to mutate is considered to be Lamarckian.
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