Re: Biochemistry of Genetic Mechanisms

On Sun, 28 Aug 2005 01:02:47 -0400 (EDT),
yahooterry@xxxxxxxxx <terryhilleman@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Macroevolution, as well as microevolution is well covered in Jeffrey
> Levinton's Genetics, Paleontology and Macroevolution; it deals
> extensively with Goulds views. The point is that microevolution must
> integrate with macroevolution. My past comments relate both levels to
> one another. Selection is mainly environmental and it involves a
> (micro-level genetic) natural selection (a change in gene frequencies
> in a population, owing to fitness of phenotypes' reproduction or
> survival among the variants) adaptation response. This genetic
> adaptation response must provide survival advantage, in a challenging
> confined environment, at the organism (macro) level. In other words,
> the organism must survive and produce offspring with survival advantage
> in order for the new genetic pattern to continue living. While it is
> very possible that I don't know what I'm talking about, it's also
> possible that I do. I have written (and copyrighted) a book of my own.
> This is the place to discuss ideas contained therein.

I'd love to discuss your ideas. Please state them in a clear fashion.

Do you believe that natural selection is the only mechanism of evolution?
What do you think of hierachical theory? Is species selection possible?
How do you define macroevolution? Can you have evolution in a stable
environment? Is stabilizing selection adaptive?

The frequency of alleles in a population can change in the absence of
natural selection. What do you call that process? Is mass extinction an
example of microevolution? What about cladogenesis? What percentage of
beneficial alleles are lost before fixation? What do you call that
process? Do you understand punctuated equilibria? Do you think it's
a major pattern in evolution?



Larry Moran








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