Who was Thomas Malthus and why is he important to the study of evolution?
a) Thomas Malthus was a geologist who proposed the theory of uniformitarianism, which suggested that geological processes occur at a constant rate.
b) Thomas Malthus was an economist who argued that human populations tend to grow exponentially while resources increase linearly, leading to competition and struggle for survival.
c) Thomas Malthus was a biologist who formulated the theory of natural selection, explaining how traits advantageous for survival become more common in a population over time.
d) Thomas Malthus was a paleontologist who discovered evidence of mass extinctions in the fossil record, providing insights into the dynamics of species turnover and evolution.