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Darwin's bridge between microevolution and macroevolution

Nature volume 457, pages 837–842 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Evolutionary biologists have long sought to understand the relationship between microevolution (adaptation), which can be observed both in nature and in the laboratory, and macroevolution (speciation and the origin of the divisions of the taxonomic hierarchy above the species level, and the development of complex organs), which cannot be witnessed because it occurs over intervals that far exceed the human lifespan. The connection between these processes is also a major source of conflict between science and religious belief. Biologists often forget that Charles Darwin offered a way of resolving this issue, and his proposal is ripe for re-evaluation in the light of recent research.

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Figure 1: Darwin's view of the link between microevolution and macroevolution.
Figure 2: A plot of lineage through time.

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Acknowledgements

We thank M. Clark, N. Hughes, D. Rabosky and J. Sachs for comments on the manuscript. D.N.R. is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (grant numbers DEB-0416085 and DEB-0623632).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, 92521, California, USA

    David N. Reznick

  2. Department of Biology, University of Missouri - St. Louis, 8001 Natural Bridge Road, St. Louis, 63121, Missouri, USA

    Robert E. Ricklefs

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Correspondence should be addressed to D.N.R. (gupy@ucr.edu).

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Reznick, D., Ricklefs, R. Darwin's bridge between microevolution and macroevolution. Nature 457, 837–842 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07894

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