Question

According to Hugo de Vries, the mechanism of evolution is

• A. phenotypic variation
• B. saltation
• C. mutiple step mutation
• D. minor mutation

Answer 1

The correct option is B saltation

Hugo de Vries believed that single step large mutations (saltations) were responsible for the formation of the new species in a single generation. He worked on Oenothera lamarckiana or evening primrose and proposed the mutation theory of evolution which was later published in his book “The Mutation Theory”.

On the other hand, Darwin’s theory states that new variations appear in every generation (continuous) and such small variations accumulate over several generations by natural selection until the offspring become significantly different, thus evolving into a new species.