Why did Darwin's contemporaries believe that natural selection could not move a population beyond its initial range of variation?
A) because selection cannot permanently change a population
B) because selection does not produce new variants
C) because selection can only act to stabilize variants
D) because small increments of change are highly advantageous and cannot be bred out through blending

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Darwin's contemporaries did not understand the role of random mutations in producing new genetic variants upon which natural selection could act. They believed that natural selection could only act on existing variations within a population, and could not generate new ones. However, we now know that mutations are a key source of new genetic variation, allowing populations to evolve beyond their initial range of variation.

Why Did Darwin's Contemporaries Believe That Natural Selection Could Not