Hugo de Vries put forth his idea of mutation based on his extensive hybridization experiments on the evening primrose (Oenothera lamarckiana). He proposed that large single-step mutations (saltations) are the causative agents of evolutionary speciation.

Adaptive radiation is the process of evolution of different species in a given geographical area starting from a point and radiating to other habitats (e.g., Darwin's finches in Galapagos, Australian marsupials, and Australian placental mammals).

The shift in moth populations (Biston betularia) in England before and after industrialization is a classic textbook example of natural selection (industrial melanism), not adaptive radiation.