That is, given very long periods of time, the micro-evolutionary forces will eventually give rise to the macro-evolutionary patterns that characterize the higher taxonomic groups.
In this view, four evolutionary forces (mutation, random genetic drift, natural selection, and gene flow) acting within and among populations cause micro-evolutionary change and these processes are sufficient to account for macro-evolutionary patterns, which arise in the longer term from the collective action of these forces.
Although a more complete taxonomic sample will further resolve these macro-evolutionary patterns, it is clear that sexual covariation in waterfowl genital anatomy is not a simple monotonic trend, but a complex pattern that includes both correlated reduction and elaboration in different lineages.
Even with well-known sampling biases, the fossil record is key to understanding macro-evolutionary patterns.
As repeat organization and expansion in plastomes may induce recombination and rearrangements (e.g. in Poaceae and Geraniaceae) [ 8], the trnL/ trnF spacer appears to be a particularly interesting region to reconstruct micro- and macro-evolutionary patterns in C. impatiens and closely related species like C. pectinata [ 43].
A high level of behavioural plasticity in host searching and host selection could be an explanatory factor for the macro-evolutionary patterns that we observed here, especially as behavioural traits have been shown to be less stable than physiological or morphological traits on evolutionary time-scales [ 42, 43].
However, we note that the enhanced evolvability facilitated by even comparatively simple polyphenisms has been shown to affect macro-evolutionary patterns (Pfennig et al. 2010), leaving us open to the view that all forms of plasticity may be potentially evolutionarily significant.
accordance with "true" evolutionary patterns.
Reversing evolutionary patterns and trends, Dr. Lieberman said, is "extremely rare, if not impossible".
higher-level evolutionary patterns in anatomy, ecology, and biogeography, species-level diversity patterns in the Neogene American tropics.
Wake's current research emphasizes analysis of evolutionary patterns and the processes that produce them.
