Augustus Weismann conducted decaudali sation experiments on rat and disproved

Options

A. Lamarckism and theory of panspermia
B. Lamarckism and germplasm theory
C. Lamarckism and abiogenesis theory
D. Lamarckism and biogenesis theory

Answer

**Step-by-Step Solution:**

1. **Understanding the Question**: The question asks about Augustus Weismann's decaudalization experiments on rats and what theory he disproved through these experiments.

2. **Identifying Weismann's Contribution**: Augustus Weismann was a German biologist known for his work on the theory of inheritance. He proposed the germplasm theory, which states that hereditary information is transmitted through germ cells (sperm and eggs) and not through somatic (body) cells.

3. **Explaining the Decaudalization Experiment**: Weismann conducted experiments where he cut off the tails of rats (decaudali sation) and allowed them to reproduce. He wanted to see if the offspring would inherit the trait of having a shorter tail due to the removal of the tail in their parents.

4. **Results of the Experiment**: After conducting this experiment over 20 generations, Weismann observed that the offspring of the rats still had tails of normal length, indicating that the trait of tail length was not affected by the removal of the tail in the parent rats.

5. **Conclusion**: Weismann concluded that changes to somatic cells (like cutting off a tail) do not affect the germ cells and thus are not passed on to the next generation. This disproved the theory of Lamarckism, which suggested that acquired characteristics could be inherited.

6. **Final Answer**: Augustus Weismann conducted decaudalization experiments on rats and disproved Lamarckism.

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