Q. The idea of mutations was brought forth by :
(a) Hugo do Vries, who worked on evening primrose
(b) Gregor Mendel, who worked on Pisum sativum
(c) Hardy Weinberg, who worked on allele frequencies in a population
(d) Charles Darwin, who observed a wide variety or organisms during sea voyage
Solution :
Correct option : A Hugo de Vries based on his work on evening primrose brought forth the idea of mutations- large arising suddenly in a population. He believed that it is mutation which causes evolution and not the minor variations (heritable) that Darwin talked about. Mutations are random and directionless while Darwinian variations are small and directional.