Question

The idea of mutations are brought forth by
A. Gregor Mendel, who worked on Pisum sativum
B. Hardy Weinberg, who worked on allele frequencies in a population
C. Charles Darwin, who observed a wide variety of organisms during the sea voyage
D. Hugo de Vries, who worked on evening primrose

Answer 1

The mutations are alterations or variations in the genetic makeup of organisms. This was first observed in Oenothera lamarckiana. The scientist who described the theory of mutation said that mutations serve as raw material for evolution, not the minor heritable variations.

Complete step by step answer: Mutations are sudden alterations or changes that are observed through phenotypic characters of organisms that are the result of continuous variations in their genetic constitution.
Now let us study each given option to know the contributions of each scientist concerning mutations.
-Gregor Mendel worked on garden pea plants (Pisum sativum). He gave the laws of inheritance. These laws further included the law of dominance, law of segregation, and law of independent assortment. The basic idea behind the laws of inheritance was based on factors that are responsible to carry information from parent plants to progeny plants. These factors were named genes. His theory was re-studied in 1901 by Hugo de Vries.
-Hardy Weinberg, who worked on the allele frequencies in a population. He described the equilibrium that sustains in nature within a population using an algebraic equation. The Hardy-Weinberg law also favored that genetic variations are present throughout natural populations of species.
-Charles Darwin is known famously for his work in the field of evolution. He proposed a famous theory of evolution and gave explanations for the survival of the fittest concept in natural selection. Also, he stated that minor heritable changes are the causing agents of evolution and not the mutations.
-Hugo de Vries who worked on evening primrose or Oenothera lamarckiana was the one who gave the theory of mutations. He described the concept which is responsible for variations that were seen in continuous generations of the same species from the same parent. He crossed many generations of evening primrose and observed that every progeny included half the population the same as of parents but half different from parents. So, he named the cause for those variations as mutations.
Therefore, the right answer is option D.

Note: Gregor Mendel too performed the crossing experiments on the garden pea plants. He observed that what component is responsible for the identical appearance of progeny to its parents. But he was not able to explain the variations he saw. Therefore, the work of Gregor Mendel and Hugo de Vries is not to be confused.