Evolutionary patterns above the species level, including origins of major groups and mass extinctions.
It covers speciation, adaptive radiations, extinctions and origins of novelties such as flight. Debate: do macro patterns emerge from microevolution (Darwinian view) or involve additional processes such as species selection?
Evolutionary patterns above the species level, including origins of major groups and mass extinctions.
Macroevolution is one of the 53 topics in Evolution. It is rated Advanced, so it suits learners who want specialist depth. Related topics in this area include Punctuated Equilibrium, Mass Extinctions, Charles Darwin.
The origin of tetrapods or the loss of limbs in snakes.
Work through the Beginner topics in Evolution first, such as Evolution, Natural Selection, Charles Darwin, then return to Macroevolution. Advanced topics assume the Intermediate vocabulary.
The closest topics to Macroevolution are Punctuated Equilibrium, Mass Extinctions, Charles Darwin, Coevolution. Comparing them side by side is a good way to see how the ideas connect.
Read the summary and the in-depth section, then use the quick check on the interactive lesson for Macroevolution. To practise the whole of Evolution, use the Evolution quiz.
Macroevolution: Evolutionary patterns above the species level, including origins of major groups and mass extinctions. Punctuated Equilibrium: Suggests species remain stable for long periods interrupted by short bursts of rapid change. Read both side by side and note what each one explains.
First, read the summary and write the definition in your own words. Second, read the in-depth section and note any example. Third, compare it with Punctuated Equilibrium and explain the difference aloud. Finally, take the Evolution quiz and come back to this page for any question you miss.
Suggests species remain stable for long periods interrupted by short bursts of rapid change.
🦎 EvolutionFive major events, including the end-Permian and end-Cretaceous, that wiped out large fractions of species.
🦎 EvolutionThe naturalist who proposed natural selection in On the Origin of Species in 1859 after the Beagle voyage.
🦎 EvolutionReciprocal evolutionary change in interacting species, such as flowers and their pollinators.
🦎 Evolution