Macroevolution
refers to large-scale
evolution
. For some, this means the origin of
species
. For others, it means the large-scale changes seen in the
fossil
record.
- "Major changes in structure and ways of life over.. tens of millions of years". R.L. Carroll.
[1]
- "A large evolutionary pattern... events that result in the origin of a new higher
taxon
". Dictionary of Genetics.
[2]
- "All macroevolutionary
processes
take place in populations and in the
genotypes
of individuals, and are thus simultaneously microevolutionary processes". Mayr.
[3]
- "A vague term for the evolution of great
phenotypic
changes, usually great enough to [put] the lineage into a distinct
genus
or higher taxon". Futuyma.
[4]
- "Evolution on the grand scale". Ridley.
[5]
It is a term of convenience: for most biologists it does
not
suggest any change in the
process
of evolution.
[4]
[6]
For a few palaeontologists, some things they see in the fossil record cannot be explained just by the gradualist evolutionary synthesis.
[7]
They are in the minority. There are some interesting discussions by other palaeontologists.
[8]
Some biologists use the term for
evolution
in already separated
gene pools
.
[9]
For them, macroevolutionary studies focus on change that occurs at or above the level of
species
. Again, this is a minority position. Most biologist would not call evolution at the species level "macroevolution".
Microevolution
,
[10]
on the other hand, refers to smaller evolutionary changes
within
species or populations. During microevolution changes in
allele frequencies
definitely do occur. Some biologists,
Richard Dawkins
in particular, have suggested that the gene is the object of selection.
[11]
[12]
This was always challenged by
Ernst Mayr
"The individual is the entity which survives or not, which reproduces or not, and which reproduces successfully or not".
[13]
Changes in gene frequency in populations is a by-product of what happens to individuals.
Relation of macroevolution to microevolution
[
change
|
change source
]
Paleontology
, evolutionary
developmental biology
, and
sequence analysis
contribute much evidence for the patterns and processes that can be classified as macroevolution. An example of macroevolution is the appearance of
feathers
during the evolution of
birds
from one group of
dinosaurs
.
Within the
modern evolutionary synthesis
school of thought, macroevolution is thought of as the compounded effects of microevolution. Thus, the distinction between micro- and macroevolution is not a fundamental one ? the only difference between them is of time and scale.
[14]
[15]
Some
creationists
have also adopted the term 'macroevolution' to describe the form of evolution they reject. They may accept that evolutionary change is possible within species (microevolution), but deny that one species can evolve into another (macroevolution).
[9]
These arguments are rejected by biologists, who hold that there is ample evidence that macroevolution has occurred in the past.
[16]
Some examples of subjects whose study falls within the realm of macroevolution:
Russian entomologist
Yuri Filipchenko
(or Philipchenko, depending on the transliteration) first coined the terms 'macroevolution' and 'microevolution' in 1927 in his German language work,
Variabilitat und Variatio
.
[16]
Since then, their meanings have been revised several times and fallen into disfavour with many, who prefer to speak of biological evolution as one process.
[16]
Evolution as a whole is strongly supported by many kinds of evidence.
[16]
The issue for biologists is whether there is any sense in having the special term
macroevolution
.
[17]
The answer is yes for a few biologists who proposed one or more evolutionary mechanisms which worked above the species level. The ideas of
punctuated equilibrium
and
species selection
were suggested, but in each case most biologists felt they could be explained by the usual small-scale changes. This explains why 'macroevolution' is perhaps a term biologists do not need to use.
When discussing the topic,
creationists
use "strategically
elastic
" definitions of micro- and macroevolution.
[9]
Macroevolution, by their definition, cannot be attained. Any observed evolutionary change is described by them as being "just microevolution".
[9]
The debate between biologists continues, with some biologists stating that there is significant evidence that other factors have acted during macroevolution,
[18]
and others maintaining that macroevolution can still be fully explained by the mechanisms of microevolution.
[19]
- ↑
Carroll R.L. 1997.
Patterns and processes of vertebrate evolution
. Cambridge University Press. p9 & 362
ISBN
052147809X
- ↑
King, Robert C; Stansfield W.D. and Mulligan P.K. 2006.
A dictionary of genetics
. 7th ed, Oxford University Press. p260
ISBN
0195307615
- ↑
Mayr, Ernst 2000.
What evolution is
. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London. p190
ISBN
0297607413
- ↑
4.0
4.1
Futuyma D.J. 1998.
Evolutionary biology
. 3rd ed, Sinauer, Sunderland, Massachusetts.
- ↑
Ridley M. 2004.
Evolution
. 2nd ed, Blackwell. Chapter 21, p669.
- ↑
Rensch B. 1959.
Evolution above the species level
. Columbia University Press.
- ↑
Stanley S.M. 1979.
Evolution: patterns and processes
. Freeman, San Francisco. p3, table 7.1, p183.
- ↑
Smith A.B. 1994.
Systematics and the fossil record: documenting evolutionary patterns
. Blackwell, Oxford.
- ↑
9.0
9.1
9.2
9.3
Matzke, Nicholas J. and Paul R. Gross 2006. Analyzing critical analysis: the fallback antievolutionist strategy.
In
Eugenie Scott and Glenn Branch,
Not in our classrooms: why intelligent design is wrong for our schools
, Beacon Press, Boston
ISBN
0807032786
- ↑
Dobzhansky, Theodosius (1951).
Genetics and the origin of species
. New York, Columbia Univ. Press, 3rd ed. LC QH366 .D6.
p12
- ↑
Williams G.C. 1966.
Adaptation and natural selection
. Princeton University Press.
- ↑
Dawkins R. 1976.
The selfish gene
. Oxford University Press.
- ↑
Mayr, Ernst 1997. The objects of?selection.
PNAS
94
2091-2094
The objects of selection
Archived
2007-03-11 at the
Wayback Machine
.
- ↑
Simpson G.G. 1944.
Tempo and mode in evolution
. Columbia, N.Y.
- ↑
Simpson G.G. 1953.
The major features of evolution
. Columbia, N.Y.
- ↑
16.0
16.1
16.2
16.3
Macroevolution: its definition, philosophy and history
- ↑
Bowler P.J. 2003.
Evolution: the history of an idea
, 3rd ed, revised and expanded. University of California Press.
ISBN
978-0520236936
.
- ↑
Erwin, Douglas H. (2000).
"Macroevolution is more than repeated rounds of microevolution"
.
Evolution & Development
.
2
(2): 78?84.
doi
:
10.1046/j.1525-142x.2000.00045.x
.
PMID
11258393
.
S2CID
20487059
.
- ↑
Carroll, Sean B. (2001).
"The big picture"
(PDF)
.
Nature
.
409
(6821): 669.
doi
:
10.1038/35055637
.
PMID
11217840
.
S2CID
4342508
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2011-08-14
. Retrieved
2011-03-26
.