Macroevolution and microevolution differ in that the first term describes changes at the species level, and the second describes supraspecific evolution. Such definitions are called irreversible processes of transformation of the organism of living beings that adapt to environmental conditions.
What do the terms have in common?
In describing the differences in the concepts of "macroevolution" and "microevolution," the scale of the processes takes an important place. The time period required to change organisms is taken into account. Macroscopic indicators consist of numerous microprocesses.
Macroevolution and microevolution are a set of events leading to the appearance of systematic groups:
- detachments;
- childbirth;
- types or departments;
- families.
All these groups have similarities: they come from one state. Gradually adapting to environmental conditions, they mutate and become unlike the original forms. And the more time passes, the more noticeable is the difference within the view.
The process of evolution is an irreversible change in natural organisms, leading to the formation of the following conditions:
- genetics change;
- the formation of adaptations to new living conditions;
- the formation of new species;
- transformation of biogeocenoses;
- extinction of existing species;
- change in the biosphere as a whole.
What causes semantic discrepancies of terms?
A change in the population of a particular species leads to the occurrence of macroevolution and microevolution. Differences in Definitions:
- The first definition is used to describe global biological changes. It includes the formation of geographic subspecies, but it cannot begin without microevolution.
- Global processes of macroevolution last dozens, hundreds of millions of years. The period of biological changes in microevolution is thousands of years.
In the theory of microevolution, the processes of adaptation of a population to changing environmental conditions are considered.
Often the process of development of a species is simultaneously described as macroevolution and microevolution. The similarities and differences of existing theories are needed to summarize the studied indicators in the development of biological species.
Highlights of Two Types of Development
One can see the same processes in theories such as macroevolution and microevolution. A comparison of the two types of development gives reason to think about the same principle of considering biological evolution. In the first case, the formation of newly appeared genera and species is observed. And in the second, similar judgments are made in identifying mutations, gene drift, and the migration of living organisms.
Theories of macro- and microevolution are based on the creation of certain points of view when studying the development of biological species, which allows a detailed analysis of the long-term development of living organisms. To obtain a more complete description of the species, the term “isolating factors” is used. These include conditions that affect evolution:
- a change in the course of the river makes fish and other underwater inhabitants adapt to the new environment;
- habitual conditions of birds are affected by the movement of the earth's crust when a new mountain range is formed;
- global warming leads to an increase in the temperature of ocean currents, which affects the lives of both underwater creatures and animals on the continents.
To adapt to new conditions, living things will need to change at the level of microevolution.
Global change
Comparing the concepts of “macroevolution” and “microevolution”, we can conclude: the result of global change depends on a set of accidents occurring at the molecular level. Each slowly proceeding process at some time is capable of developing into supermacroevolution. However, this occurs over a very long period of time.
In the theory of macroevolution, the laws of the development of the organic world are considered. According to statistical data, a clear and generalized picture of the evolutionary change in biological species can be made. The main trends and directions are clearly distinguished, which is difficult to do when studying only microevolution.
Examples of global events
The theory of macroevolution considers processes lasting a million years. These include the exit of vertebrate creatures to land, the process of a person moving from walking on all fours to a two-legged posture of movement. These events are accompanied by significant changes in biological species both at the gene level and externally.
Two types of development always occur for the formation of new species: macroevolution and microevolution. The similarity of events is that natural selection becomes a key factor in the formation of new species and subspecies. When considering all processes in this vein, general conclusions are drawn about the laws of evolutionary changes.
Internal changes
Macroevolution and microevolution are interdependent. The first global process can be modified under the influence of the following factors:
- genetic differentiation;
- hereditary variation ;
- isolation under the influence of the directing action of natural selection.
The theory of microevolution addresses issues of changes within a species, when some living things begin to stand out in their physical structure due to some factors and form a new subspecies. To simplify the classification of events, an elementary unit of evolution is used - the population.
Microevolutionary processes can proceed with isolation of individual populations, isolation from the parent subspecies into separate species. This can happen when one kind of biological creature breaks up into two separate states.
Examples of intraspecific events
The following events are referred to microevolution:
- adaptation of the digestive system of rodents to new poisons and chemicals (this process is quite fast - just a few years);
- a change in the whole gene pool of a particular species, which is called phyletic evolution;
- microevolution can be found in various species: in birds and bats these are wings, in fishes and marine inhabitants - fins and gills, in amphibians they observe both;
- similar processes can be found in animals that are separated from each other by systematic signs: the gills are in fish and the lobster or crab, and the limbs of the bear are similar in structure to the legs of the mole;
- the limbs of animals living on trees are similar in structure and purpose.
Ways of development of biological species
The definition of "view" includes an extensive list of properties:
- Physiological, biological and physico-chemical indicators.
- Individuals have the ability to reproduce.
- They have the ability to adapt to certain environmental conditions.
- Individuals occupy a specific niche in the food chain.
In micro- and macroevolution, criteria are used to evaluate species:
- Morphological.
- Physiological.
- Biochemical.
- Genetic.
- Geographical.
- Ecological.
The species belongs to the smallest genetic unit and is comparable to the population when one individual is able to interbreed with another. In this case, part of the biological code is transmitted for procreation. So new species are created.
To change a species, it is necessary to develop suitable conditions under the influence of events: isolation from an aggressive environment, laws of natural selection, mutations, and a wavelike population change.