Macroevolution

Part of a series on
Evolutionary biology
Darwin's finches by John Gould
Processes and outcomes
Natural history
History of evolutionary theory
Fields and applications
Social implications

Macroevolution comprises the evolutionary processes and patterns which occur at and above the species level.[1][2][3] In contrast, microevolution is evolution occurring within the population(s) of a single species. In other words, microevolution is the scale of evolution that is limited to intraspecific (within-species) variation, while macroevolution extends to interspecific (between-species) variation.[4] The evolution of new species (speciation) is an example of macroevolution. This is the common definition for 'macroevolution' used by contemporary scientists.[a][b][c][d][e][f][g][h][i] Although, the exact usage of the term has varied throughout history.[4][10][11]

Macroevolution addresses the evolution of species and higher taxonomic groups (genera, families, orders, etc) and uses evidence from phylogenetics,[5] the fossil record,[9] and molecular biology to answer how different taxonomic groups exhibit different species diversity and/or morphological disparity.[12]

  1. ^ a b Saupe, Erin E.; Myers, Corinne E. (1 April 2021). "Macroevolution". In Nuño de la Rosa, Laura; Müller, Gerd B. (eds.). Chapter: Macroevolution, Book: Evolutionary Developmental Biology - A Reference Guide (1 ed.). Springer, Cham. pp. 149–167. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-32979-6_126. ISBN 978-3-319-32979-6.
  2. ^ a b Stanley, S. M. (1 February 1975). "A theory of evolution above the species level". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 72 (2): 646–50. Bibcode:1975PNAS...72..646S. doi:10.1073/pnas.72.2.646. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 432371. PMID 1054846.
  3. ^ a b Gould, Stephen Jay (2002). The structure of evolutionary theory. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-00613-5. OCLC 47869352.
  4. ^ a b c Hautmann, Michael (2020). "What is macroevolution?". Palaeontology. 63 (1): 1–11. Bibcode:2020Palgy..63....1H. doi:10.1111/pala.12465. ISSN 0031-0239.
  5. ^ a b Rolland, J.; Henao-Diaz, L.F.; Doebeli, M.; et al. (10 July 2023). "Conceptual and empirical bridges between micro- and macroevolution" (PDF). Nature Ecology & Evolution. 7 (8): 1181–1193. Bibcode:2023NatEE...7.1181R. doi:10.1038/s41559-023-02116-7. ISSN 2397-334X.
  6. ^ Jablonski, D. (3 June 2017). "Approaches to Macroevolution: 1. General Concepts and Origin of Variation". Springer, Evolutionary Biology. 44 (4): 427–450. Bibcode:2017EvBio..44..427J. doi:10.1007/s11692-017-9420-0. PMC 5661017. PMID 29142333.
  7. ^ Jablonski, D. (24 October 2017). "Approaches to Macroevolution: 2. Sorting of Variation, Some Overarching Issues, and General Conclusions". Springer, Evolutionary Biology. 44 (4): 451–475. Bibcode:2017EvBio..44..451J. doi:10.1007/s11692-017-9434-7. PMC 5661022. PMID 29142334.
  8. ^ "Evolution at different scales". Understanding Evolution. UCMP, Berkely.
  9. ^ a b "Macroevolution in the Fossil Record?". GEOL331 Lecture Notes. University of Maryland Department of Geology.
  10. ^ a b "What is Macroevolution?". Digital Atlas of Ancient Life. PRI.
  11. ^ Filipchenko, J. (1927). Variabilität und Variation. Berlin: Borntraeger.
  12. ^ Gregory, T.R. (25 June 2008). "Evolutionary Trends". Evo Edu Outreach. 1 (3): 259–273. doi:10.1007/s12052-008-0055-6. ISSN 1936-6434.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).