The Four forces of Evolution & Speciation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Four forces of Evolution & Speciation - Essay Example The ones focused on are; Species, Population, the four forces of evolution, the variation within and between populations, isolating mechanisms and speciation. Microevolution: This describes the significant changes that occur in a species over time, to give it traits or groups of traits classifying it differently from its original species, for example, as a sub-species, a variety or a race (Maiti & Maiti 252). Macroevolution: This describes the significant changes in a species over time that makes it into a totally different species. An example is the evolution of earlier tetrapods into mammals. The results of this process are cumulative that is, the species form after an evolution for over millions of years (Maiti & Maiti 254). Gene flow: This is the transfer of gene alleles from one population to the other. Populations are different from species. A population is defined as the number of a specific species of an organism, found in a specific geographic region. A species is a population of organisms defined by their ability to interbreed naturally among themselves, and produce offspring that can also interbreed. The transfer of alleles, therefore, causes changes in the genetic make-up of the population, hence their traits (Maiti & Maiti 256). There are other issues that take part in the evolution, but differently. One of such factors is the isolation mechanisms. Species have similar genes and a common ancestry, yet still, there are those of similar genes and a common ancestry, but are unable to reproduce. This is explained by the isolation mechanisms. Isolation mechanisms are functional, structural, and behavioral characteristics that prevent species from reproducing. Isolation mechanisms, therefore, play a role in maintaining particular species and creating new ones. The development of a new species from an evolutionary process is known as speciation that is influenced by all the above evolutionary