Q.What is the Hugo de Vries Theory of Evolution? How does it differ from Darwin's View?

De Vries proposed evolution proceeds through sudden, large jumps (mutations/saltations), whereas Darwin proposed it proceeds through slow accumulation of small continuous variations acted on by natural selection.

Hugo de Vries's Mutation Theory:

• Based on his studies of the evening primrose (Oenothera lamarckiana), de Vries proposed that evolution occurs through mutations — sudden, large, discontinuous variations that appear abruptly in a population.
• He termed such a large single-step change saltation, and believed that these large changes could directly give rise to a new species in a single generation ("mutation leads to speciation, saltation").
• Mutations, according to de Vries, are random and undirected, but once they occur, they are inherited and can establish a new species relatively quickly.

How this differs from Darwin's view:

• Darwin's theory of natural selection proposed that evolution is a slow, gradual process, built up from the accumulation of many small, continuous heritable variations across successive generations. …