Macroevolution Flashcards
What are the problems studying evolution?
Fossil record generally lacks transitional forms
New taxa appear abruptly in the fossil record
Major morphological innovations sometimes appear in the fossil record which are then either preceded or followed by periods of stasis
What does fossilisation require?
Death
Burial with organism intact (mostly)
Sedimentation
Survival of sedimentary rocks
Give an example of selection explaining rapid change
Brain size increase between *Homo erectus *and *Homo sapiens *
What does divergent evolution cause?
The split and separation of lineages
What do related species share?
Evolutionary history
What is adaptive radiation?
Evolution of ecological and phenotypic diversity within a rapidly multiplying lineage
What does adaptive radiation require?
Requires differentiation of a single ancestor into multiple species
Variation in morphological traits that allow exploitation of range of environments
What is a cause of adaptive radiation?
Ecological opportunity
