Discredited in his time, Lamarck's 18th- and 19th-century research appears to have been closer to the mark than many would have guessed. Typically remembered solely for his theory of the inheritance of acquired characteristics, many of Lamarck's other ideas, particularly those about the mechanism that drives evolution, are beginning to garner more attention. Highlighted in this work is Lamarck's central evolutionary claim that more than simply providing a backdrop for evolution, the environment plays a vital role in the development of biodiversity.