Question

Recapitulation theory (Biogenetic law) explains “Ontogeny repeats Phylogeny”. It was given by
A) Lamarck
B) Haeckel
C) Darwin
D) Robert Hooke

Answer 1

Hint: Biogenetic law is a theory which was proposed in the 1860s and based upon development and evolution.

Complete Answer:
- Ontogeny means growth and development of an organism. Phylogeny is the evolutionary history or how the organisms have evolved. This recapitulation theory was proposed by Ernst Haeckel in Germany.
- An illustrator and philosopher, Haeckel, a 19th century German biologist who coined this phrase “ontogeny repeats phylogeny”. This theory is a historical hypothesis which states that the development of the embryo of an animal, from fertilization to gestation. This theory tied evolution with embryology (way organisms develop before they are born).
- Modern observations: Developing organisms may have traits which they may not have when they are born, but which the organisms they evolved from had such traits when they were adults.
- Lamarck was a biologist, soldier who proposed that biological evolution proceeds in natural ways.
- Robert Hooke, was the first to visualize a microorganism.

So, the correct answer is Haeckel.

Additional information:

Sl.No	ONTOGENY	PHYLOGENY
1.	It is the development history of an individual organism.	It is the evolutionary development and study of relationships in different groups of organisms.
2.	Tells about the development history of an organism within its own lifetime.For example: how a chicken came to life starting from a single cell.	Tells about the evolutionary history of species.For example: evolutionary process of Gallus gallus.

Note: Haeckel produced many embryo drawings that overemphasized similarities between embryos of related species. It is right to say that our ontogeny gives clues about our phylogeny.