Both Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace acknowledged the influence of the economist Thomas Malthus in the development of their ideas about natural selection. Specifically, Malthus's ideas about geometric population growth implied that:
A)resources in every generation would be limited, therefore individuals in every generation would have to compete for those resources.
B)only the largest and strongest individuals would survive.
C)organisms should have as many offspring as possible.
D)organisms should have a few, very fit offspring who can compete for scarce resources.
E)All of these choices are correct.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Malthus's ideas about geometric population growth implied that resources in every generation would be limited, therefore individuals in every generation would have to compete for those resources. This idea was central to Darwin's theory of natural selection, which proposed that those individuals with advantageous traits would be more likely to survive and pass on their traits to their offspring, ultimately leading to the evolution of new species.

Both Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace Acknowledged the Influence