Speciation (151)

1) Macroevolution - What is macroevolution? - macroevolution refers to the development of new species - microevolutionary changes can lead to macroevolution - What are species? - a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring - domestic dogs are all different varieties of the same species, because interbreeding results in fertile offspring - it is not always easy to define a species based on these criteria - asexually reproducing species do not interbreed at all - you cannot demonstrate interbreeding success of extinct organisms - groups of populations can sometimes form a gradient, where species at the far ends of the range cannot interbreed with each other, but each can interbreed with an in-between population - these are known as ring species - What can prevent successful interbreeding? - barriers can be divided into two major groups - pre-zygotic barriers prevent mating or the development of a zygote (offspring) - these can be due to differences in timing of mating, mechanical incompatibilities or location for example - in some cases different species can mate and produce zygotes, but the offspring are not viable or are infertile - therefore these are called post-zygotic barriers - horses and donkeys are different species, because although they can mate successfully, the offspring are sterile mules - the same is true with tigers and lions - How do different species arise? - these different barriers can arise as two different populations become more and more reproductively isolated - less gene flow is occurring - this isolation can be the result of a separation in geographical location - this is referred to as allopatric speciation - isolation may also occur within the same geographic region, but is instead the result of another factor - for example, two different groups that mate at two different times of the year

- the development of two species occurring side by side is known as sympatric speciation 2) Evolutionary Pace - How long does it take new species to arise? - the fossil record doesnt always show a continuous, gradual change from one form to the next - Darwin believed this was due to an imperfect fossil record - A new hypothesis about the rate of change is called punctuated equilibrium - proposed by Steven Jay Gould and Niles Eldridge - states that new species arise suddenly and rapidly as small subpopulations split apart from the original species - the period of time when speciation occurs is rapid compared to a period of stasis, when small variations occur that do not lead to speciation - rapid in terms of geologic time - this is opposed to the idea of phyletic gradualism, which believes new species develop slowly and gradually as an entire species changes over time - the species changes little by little over time until it has transformed into a new species - the driving force behind evolution is still the same - it is difficult to determine different species in fossils - you cannot observe reproductive success