Which naturalist is recognized as the father of biology and was the first to explain the evolutionary process?

The correct answer is the naturalist recognized as the father of biology and the first to explain the evolutionary process, which is Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. Lamarck is known for his early theory of evolution, which proposed that organisms could change during their lifetime and pass those changes to their offspring. This concept, known as the inheritance of acquired characteristics, was a significant early attempt to articulate how species might evolve over time.

Unlike some of his contemporaries, Lamarck's ideas laid foundational groundwork for later evolutionary theories. His emphasis on adaptation through environmental interaction highlighted an understanding of species' changes in response to their environment, which is a crucial aspect of evolutionary biology. This perspective preceded and set the stage for Charles Darwin's more comprehensive theory of natural selection.

In contrast, while Carolus Linnaeus contributed significantly to the classification of organisms with his binomial nomenclature system, and Charles Lyell made important advancements in geology that influenced evolutionary thought, neither developed a theory of biological evolution as Lamarck did. George-Louis Leclerc, meanwhile, made contributions to natural history and species classification but did not put forth a theory of evolution. Therefore, Lamarck stands out as the figure who first provided a scientific explanation for how species might evolve over time.