Question

What is the difference between micro and macroevolution?

a) Microevolution deals with small-scale genetic changes within a population, while macroevolution involves large-scale evolutionary patterns over geological time.
b) Microevolution focuses on the evolution of individual organisms, while macroevolution examines the ecological interactions between species.
c) Microevolution studies evolutionary changes in small organisms, while macroevolution studies changes in larger organisms.
d) Microevolution is a concept in genetics, while macroevolution is a concept in ecology.

Answer 1

Microevolution involves small-scale genetic changes within a population, such as shifts in allele frequencies, while macroevolution describes the broad patterns of evolution that occur over geological time and can lead to the formation of new species.

Step-by-step explanation:

The fundamental difference between microevolution and macroevolution lies in the scale and impact of evolutionary changes. Microevolution refers to small-scale changes in a population's genetic structure over a short period of time. This typically involves changes in allele frequencies within a population, which can be due to mechanisms like natural selection, genetic drift, mutation, and gene flow. On the other hand, macroevolution encompasses large-scale evolutionary changes that lead to the emergence of new species and are noticeable over geological time. These changes are the result of the accumulation of microevolutionary changes that have significant enough impact to cause speciation, the process where one species splits into two or more distinct species.

The correct answer to the student's question is option (a): Microevolution deals with small-scale genetic changes within a population, while macroevolution involves large-scale evolutionary patterns over geological time.