EEMB 131 Study Guide - Final Guide: Macroevolution, Microevolution, Speciation
17 Jan 2018
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Document Summary
Macroevolutoin differs from microevolution in two profound ways: 1) the processes that drive it are different and allow for stochasticity. 2) the scale macroevolutionary events occur on is much larger than that of microevolution. Macroevolution revolves around the idea that there are processes in nature that cause lineages to speciate (genes duplicate, proteins gain new functions, species split into two new lineages, cell lines evolve new functions, etc. ). The study of macroevolution uses historical science to ask questions about what these processes are, and how they create the diversity we see today. Unlike microevolutionary tools, we cannot conduct experiments on a macroevolutionary level. We assume an existence of an equilibrium state in biodiversity through examination/extrapolation of the fossil record and macarthur & wilson"s theory of island. Together, these clues led us to the conclusion that within an ecosystem, the rates of extinction and colonization via speciation/founder effects can exist in equilibrium.
