1. “The field of macroevolution embraces the excitement of seeking an understanding of the breadth of life” -Levinton

2. Taxonomic-based definition
“Evolution above the species level”
Between species evolution (as opposed to within species, which is microevolution)

3. Splitting vs. Budding S B Change in both descendants Change in one

5. Bottleneck Effect Extreme form of Genetic Drift.
Entire population goes through this. X Z B B B

6. Founders Effect
Extreme form of Genetic Drift X Z X Z B X Z

7. Founders Effect

10. What is Macroevolution? Macroevolutionary Questions:
Big Question 1: How do we establish evolutionary relationships among taxa?
Specific:
Who are humans’ closest relatives?

11. Why are there still chimps?
Science does not say we descended from modern chimps
Does say humans and modern chimps descended from a common ancestor
The common ancestor probably had some characteristics of both species.

12. Macroevolutionary Questions
Big Question 2. What processes/factors regulate the rates of evolutionary change?
Specific:
Do mice evolve faster than
elephants?

13. Macroevolutionary Questions:
Big Question 3: What environmental changes regulated the timing of evolutionary radiations and extinctions?
Specific:
Why did dinosaurs become extinct?

14. Macroevolutionary Questions
Big Question 4. Do extinctions affect the evolution of other groups?
Specific: Did the
Extinction of dinosaurs
allow the radiation of
Mammals?

15. Macroevolutionary Questions
Big Question 5 – What ecological processes regulate diversity?
Specific: Did ecology contribute
to the “Cambrian explosion”?

16. Phylogenetic systematics
Based on number of homologies between groups
Greater number of homologous characters between species the closer the relationship
Cladistic Analysis
Clade: An ancestral species and all its descendants (shared homologous characters). Should be monophyletic.