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Macroevolution

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Evolutionary Developmental Biology

Abstract

Macroevolution is the study of patterns and processes associated with evolutionary change at and above the species level, and includes investigations of both evolutionary tempo and mode. Tempo refers to the rate or pace of change, whereas mode refers to how that change occurs. Both the tempo and mode of macroevolution are difficult to predict based solely on the study of populations, organisms, and genes – the realm of microevolution. Important macroevolutionary discoveries include the observation that species rarely accrue net morphological change over their lifespans of millions of years, that episodes of mass extinction substantially modify the evolutionary trajectory of life on Earth, and that variation in rates of speciation, extinction, and morphological change occurs over time, in different habitats, and across groups. The potential disconnect between microevolution and macroevolution suggests different processes may operate at different levels of biological organization, and at different spatial and temporal scales. Thus, macroevolution should be considered in concert with microevolution when determining the processes that have shaped the coevolution of Earth and life.

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Acknowledgments

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Erin E. Saupe

  2. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    Corinne E. Myers

Authors
  1. Erin E. Saupe
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  2. Corinne E. Myers
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Erin E. Saupe .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Logic and Theoretical Philosophy, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Laura Nuño de la Rosa

  2. Department of Theoretical Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Gerd B. Müller

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Theoretical Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Gerd B. Müller

  2. Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Klosterneuburg, Austria

    Gerd B. Müller

  3. Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Laura Nuño de la Rosa

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Saupe, E.E., Myers, C.E. (2021). Macroevolution. In: Nuño de la Rosa, L., Müller, G.B. (eds) Evolutionary Developmental Biology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32979-6_126

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