Question

Given the knowledge of inheritance in Darwin's era, which of the following would have been a persuasive criticism of his conception of natural selection as a driving force for evolution?

A) Selection could only change trait values within a limited range
B) There was no evidence that variation in traits, at any level, affects survival or reproduction in nature
C) Variation among individuals would be blended and thus diminished every generation
D) Both A) and C)
E) Both B) and C)

Answer 1

Variation among individuals would be blended and thus diminished every generation. Option C is answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

During Darwin's era, the prevailing understanding of inheritance was based on blending inheritance, where the traits of offspring were thought to be a blend of the traits from both parents. If this were the case, over successive generations, variation among individuals would become blended and diluted, leading to uniformity rather than the accumulation of diverse traits. This would be a persuasive criticism of natural selection because, without heritable variation, there would be limited material for selection to act upon.

Option C, "Variation among individuals would be blended and thus diminished every generation," accurately reflects a criticism that could have been raised in Darwin's time. It highlights the importance of later discoveries in genetics, particularly Mendelian inheritance, which provided a more accurate understanding of how traits are passed from generation to generation.

Option C is answer.