Who formulated his own theory of evolution independently and influenced Darwin to publish his ideas?

• A. Alfred Russel Wallace
• B. Thomas Malthus
• C. Descent with modification
• D. Natural selection

Answer: (A)

Alfred Russel Wallace independently developed a theory of evolution and directly pushed Darwin to publish his ideas. Wallace’s field observations, especially in tropical regions, led him to conclude that species change over time through differential survival and reproduction in response to competition (natural selection). In 1858, Wallace sent a manuscript outlining natural selection to Darwin, who had been working on similar ideas for years. This prompted Darwin to present their ideas together to the scientific community, and Darwin later published On the Origin of Species, making the theory widely known. While Thomas Malthus influenced Darwin by highlighting the struggle for resources, he did not formulate a theory of evolution himself. Descent with modification and natural selection are concepts related to the theory, not people.