Lamarck also believed, as did many others at the time, that characteristics acquired during the course of an organism's life could be inherited by the next generation, and he saw this as a secondary evolutionary mechanism that produced adaptation to the environment.
Lamarck tamén cría, como moitos outros no seu tempo, que as características adquiridas durante a vida dun organismo podían ser herdadas pola seguinte xeración, e consideraba isto como un mecanismo evolutivo secundario que producía adaptacións ao ambiente.