Punctuated Equilibrium 1

In this video, I outline punctuated equilibrium, a theory about macroevolution proposed in 1972 by Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould. I examine the foundations of punctuated equilibirum, particularly its basis in Mayr's theory of peripatric speciation, and then deal with some common misconceptions.

[StefanTravis]

I've often thought that, if evolution is adaptation to environment, then speed of change in environment would affect speed of adaptation.

An environment that takes 10 million years to move from "wet" to "dry" wouldn't "push" adaptation very hard. One that took 100 years to transition wouldn't give species time to adapt, wiping those out that are highly specialised for the wet. And one that took 20, 000 years might be in the "goldilocks" range of "fast enough to provoke adaptation, but slow enough to let it happen".

So the issue of how often species change gradually vs how often they adapt suddenly, could be settled by asking how often environments change at what speed.