The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection: Or, the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, 6th EditionDarwin, Charles
History
The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection: Or, the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, 6th Edition
Darwin, Charles
Evolution (Biology); Natural selection
There is one other point which is worth notice. Varieties generally
have much restricted ranges. This statement is indeed scarcely more
than a truism, for if a variety were found to have a wider range than
that of its supposed parent-species, their denominations would be
reversed. But there is reason to believe that the species which are
very closely allied to other species, and in so far resemble varieties,
often have much restricted ranges. For instance, Mr. H.C. Watson has
marked for me in the well-sifted London catalogue of Plants (4th
edition) sixty-three plants which are therein ranked as species, but
which he considers as so closely allied to other species as to be of
doubtful value: these sixty-three reputed species range on an average
over 6.9 of the provinces into which Mr. Watson has divided Great
Britain. Now, in this same catalogue, fifty-three acknowledged
varieties are recorded, and these range over 7.7 provinces; whereas,
the species to which these varieties belong range over 14.3 provinces.
So that the acknowledged varieties have very nearly the same restricted
average range, as have the closely allied forms, marked for me by Mr.
Watson as doubtful species, but which are almost universally ranked by
British botanists as good and true species.
_Summary._
Finally, varieties cannot be distinguished from species—except, first,
by the discovery of intermediate linking forms; and, secondly, by a
certain indefinite amount of difference between them; for two forms, if
differing very little, are generally ranked as varieties,
notwithstanding that they cannot be closely connected; but the amount
of difference considered necessary to give to any two forms the rank of
species cannot be defined. In genera having more than the average
number of species in any country, the species of these genera have more
than the average number of varieties. In large genera the species are
apt to be closely but unequally allied together, forming little
clusters round other species. Species very closely allied to other
species apparently have restricted ranges. In all these respects the
species of large genera present a strong analogy with varieties. And we
can clearly understand these analogies, if species once existed as
varieties, and thus originated; whereas, these analogies are utterly
inexplicable if species are independent creations.
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