Question

Which scientific concept did Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace independently discover? a. mutation b. natural selection c. overbreeding d. sexual reproduction

Short answer

Natural selection is offered as option (b).

Through their investigation, Darwin and Wallace independently identified and suggested the mechanism of evolution by natural selection.

As a consequence, (b) is the proper response.

Step-by-step solution

Introduction

CharlesDarwinandAlfredRusselWallacemadesignificantcontributionstothefieldofevolutionbyexplaininghowevolutionworks.

Darwin explored the globe, and his visit to the Galapagos Islands aided in the understanding of evolution.

Wallace went to Brazil on his own to investigate the same topic.

Explanation for correct option

Naturalselectionisofferedasoption(b).

DarwinstudiedthevarioussizesandshapesofbeaksamongthefinchesintheGalapagosIslands.

Darwindiscoveredthatdifferenttypesofbeaksassistedbirdsinacquiringspecifictypesoffoodafterfurtherinvestigation.

Thiswasattributabletothefinches'evolutionfromtheirancestralspeciesovertime.

Natural selection was the name he gave to this system of adaptation in which desirable features aid in their survival and reproduction.

Wallace also gathered a large number of insect, bird, and animal specimens, examined them, and authored essays explaining the origins of new species with improved survival features.

Explanation for incorrect option

Option(a)hasamutationattachedtoit.

HugoDeVrieshadproposedit.

Asaresult,itisaninaccurateresponse.

Overbreedingislistedasoption(c).

Itistheoverbreedingofaspecies,yetneitherCharlesDarwinnorAlfredRusselWallaceproposeditindependently.

Asaresult,itisaninaccurateresponse.

Sexualreproductionispresentedasoption(d).

Itisatypeofreproductionthatinvolvestwoparents,gametecreation,andfusiontoproducenewoffspring.

CharlesDarwinandAlfredRusselWallacedidnotindependentlyproposeit.

As a result, it is an inaccurate response.

As a result, alternatives (a), (c), and (d) are wrong.