The rediscovery of Mendelian inheritance caused increased scrutiny of Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection because of an apparent conflict in the two concepts. This conflict was based on the observation that Darwin focused on continuous traits, whereas Mendelian genetics deals with
A) discrete characters.
B) alleles.
C) garden pea plants.
D) genotypes.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mendelian genetics deals with the inheritance of discrete characters, which are determined by specific genes with distinct phenotypic outcomes. This is in contrast to continuous traits, which are influenced by multiple genes and environmental factors and show a range of intermediate phenotypes. Darwin's theory of natural selection was based on the gradual accumulation of small variations within populations, which would eventually lead to the emergence of new species. The rediscovery of Mendelian inheritance challenged this idea by showing that certain traits were determined by discrete genetic factors that could be passed down from one generation to the next without blending or averaging out. However, later studies showed that natural selection could still operate on discrete traits, as long as there was variation within a population and some alleles had a selective advantage over others. Thus, the apparent conflict between Mendelian genetics and Darwin's theory of natural selection was resolved by integrating the two concepts into the modern synthesis of evolutionary biology.

The Rediscovery of Mendelian Inheritance Caused Increased Scrutiny of Charles