Conceptual and empirical bridges between micro- and macroevolution
Jonathan Rolland, L. Francisco Henao-Diaz, Michael Doebeli, Rachel Germain, Luke J. Harmon, L. Lacey Knowles, Lee Hsiang Liow, Judith E. Mank, Antonin Machac, Sarah P. Otto, Matt Pennell, Nicolas Salamin, Daniele Silvestro, Mauro Sugawara, Josef Uyeda, Catherine E. Wagner & Dolph Schluter
Nature Ecology & Evolution volume 7, pages 1181–1193 (2023
Abstract
Explaining broad molecular, phenotypic and species biodiversity patterns necessitates a unifying framework spanning multiple evolutionary scales. Here we argue that although substantial effort has been made to reconcile microevolution and macroevolution, much work remains to identify the links between biological processes at play. We highlight four major questions of evolutionary biology whose solutions require conceptual bridges between micro and macroevolution. We review potential avenues for future research to establish how mechanisms at one scale (drift, mutation, migration, selection) translate to processes at the other scale (speciation, extinction, biogeographic dispersal) and vice versa. We propose ways in which current comparative methods to infer molecular evolution, phenotypic evolution and species diversification could be improved to specifically address these questions. We conclude that researchers are in a better position than ever before to build a synthesis to understand how microevolutionary dynamics unfold over millions of years.
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