Question

Describe the pace of evolution. What are the alternatives?

Why are there such large differences in the diversity within a clade?

What is a speciation event?

How does complexity evolve? What are intermediate forms?

What causes trends?

What was Aristotle's vision of a “Great Chain” and what has replaced it?

Compare and contrast phylogenetic and Linnaean classification systems.

Answer 1

1. When evolution would be occurring within species, it would be referred to as microevolution. Macro evolution is when evolution would take place across the barrier of species.

Pace of evolution is proposed by gradualism which states that evolution would be occurring at a constant pace which would be even at the same time, such that these would be producing incremental change in a species. This is in the form of a slow branching tree.

Punctuated equilibrium would be proposing that there would be long evolutionary change or no evolutionary change at all which could be punctuated by rapid evolution periods. There would be periods of no change or stasis where there would be sudden changes or increase in the evolution rate.