After the rediscovery in 1900 of Gregor Mendel's now-famous experiments from the 1850s and 1860s, evolutionary biologists viewed variation in two ways. What were these views and how were the differences eventually resolved?
A) Mendelians viewed inheritance as continuous while biometricians viewed inheritance as discrete. Scientists eventually learned inheritance operates in both ways, leading to the modern, evolutionary synthesis.
B) Mendelians viewed inheritance as discrete while biometricians viewed inheritance as continuous. Scientists eventually verified that inheritance acts in a discrete manner only, leading to the rejection of the blending theory.
C) Mendelians viewed inheritance as discrete while biometricians viewed inheritance as continuous. Scientists eventually learned inheritance operates in both ways, leading to the modern, evolutionary synthesis.
D) Mendelians viewed inheritance as continuous while biometricians viewed inheritance as discrete. Scientists eventually learned that inheritance is only continuous, verifying Darwin's theory of natural selection.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mendelians believed in discrete inheritance, meaning that traits are passed down in distinct, non-blending units (what we now call genes). Biometricians believed that inheritance was continuous, meaning that traits were determined by a combination of many small, additive factors. The modern evolutionary synthesis, which emerged in the 1930s and 40s, brought these two views together by showing that while some traits are controlled by many genes (and thus show continuous variation), others are determined by just one or a few genes (and thus show discrete variation). This new understanding helped biologists develop a more comprehensive theory of evolution that integrated both genetic and non-genetic factors.

After the Rediscovery in 1900 of Gregor Mendel's Now-Famous Experiments