saltation

The act of leaping, jumping, or dancing.

Discontinuous movement, transition, or development; advancement by leaps.

A single mutation that drastically alters the phenotype.

Saltatory action; the act or movement of leaping, or effecting a saltus; a leap or jump; hence, abrupt transition or change.

Jumping movement; beating or palpitation.

The name ‘saltation,’ or in recent years ‘mutation, has been applied to extreme fluctuation, the immediate cause of which is unknown. The experiments of Dr. Hugo de Vries on the saltations of the descendants of an American form of evening primrose (Œnothera lamarckiana) have recently drawn general attention again to the possibility that saltation has had a large part in the process of formation of species.

A leaping or jumping.

Beating or palpitation.

An abrupt and marked variation in the condition or appearance of a species; a sudden modification which may give rise to new races.