Thomas Malthus, a Political Economist, Showed That the Human Population

Thomas Malthus, a political economist, showed that the human population would outstrip available resources unless kept in check by other factors such as famine, war, and disease. How did Charles Darwin apply this principle to his theory of evolution by natural selection?

A) Darwin used this as a contrast to plant and animal populations, which live in balance with their available resources.
B) Darwin used this to illustrate that because food supply remains relatively the same, plant and animal populations show little variation in size.
C) Darwin realized this also applied to plant and animal populations, and this struggle for existence was the opportunity for natural selection to act on differences within populations.
D) Darwin used this to illustrate that as food supplies increase, populations increase.