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macroevolution
Sign in to saveMacroevolution comprises the evolutionary processes and patterns which occur at and above the species level. 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. The evolution of new species (speciation) is an example of macroevolution. This is the common definition for 'macroevolution' used by contemporary scientists. However, the exact usage of the term has v
Article
19 sectionsContents
- Origin and changing meaning of the term
- Microevolution vs Macroevolution
- Macroevolutionary processes
- Speciation
- Evolution of new organs and tissues
- Examples
- Evolutionary faunas
- Stanley's rule
- Evolution of multicellularity
- Evolution of bat wings
- Limb loss in lizards and snakes
- Human evolution
- Evolution of viviparity in lizards
- Research topics
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Macroevolution comprises the evolutionary processes and patterns which occur at and above the species level. 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. The evolution of new species (speciation) is an example of macroevolution. This is the common definition for 'macroevolution' used by contemporary scientists. However, the exact usage of the term has varied throughout history.
Macroevolution addresses the evolution of species and higher taxonomic groups (genera, families, orders, etc) and uses evidence from phylogenetics, the fossil record, and molecular biology to answer how different taxonomic groups exhibit different species diversity and/or morphological disparity.