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The Evidence for Evolution

The Evidence for Evolution

Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.

What is Biodiversity?

What is Biodiversity?

Biodiversity describes the variety of living things at multiple organizational levels: genetic, species and ecosystem diversity. Species diversity includes all branches of the evolutionary tree from single-celled prokaryotic organisms, bacteria, and archaea, to the eukaryotic kingdoms: plants; animals; fungi; and protists. To date, there have been about 1.75 million species identified, and new species are discovered every week.

Habitat Fragmentation

Habitat Fragmentation

Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.

What is Evolutionary History?

What is Evolutionary History?

Scientists record evolutionary history by analyzing fossil, morphological, and genetic data. The fossil record documents the history of life on Earth and provides evidence for evolution. However, both fossil and living organisms offer evidence that outlines Earth’s evolutionary history.

Speciation Rates

Speciation Rates

Threats to Biodiversity

Threats to Biodiversity

There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2025

Predicting the Effectiveness of Population Replacement Strategy Using Mathematical Modeling

Predicting the Effectiveness of Population Replacement Strategy Using Mathematical Modeling

Published on: July 4, 2007

Predicting emergent animal biodiversity patterns across multiple scales.

Alice S A Johnston¹

¹Cranfield Environment Centre, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, UK.

Global Change Biology

|July 10, 2024

Summary

Accurate ecological models predicting animal biodiversity responses to environmental change are crucial for ecosystem resilience. Developing cross-scale ecological models is the next step for better biodiversity predictions.

Keywords:

communities ecological modelling ecosystems individuals mechanisms populations processes scale space time

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Automatic Image Processing to Determine the Community Size Structure of Riverine Macroinvertebrates

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Last Updated: Jun 21, 2025

Predicting the Effectiveness of Population Replacement Strategy Using Mathematical Modeling

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Published on: July 4, 2007

Integrating Remote Sensing with Species Distribution Models; Mapping Tamarisk Invasions Using the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling SAHM

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Automatic Image Processing to Determine the Community Size Structure of Riverine Macroinvertebrates

Automatic Image Processing to Determine the Community Size Structure of Riverine Macroinvertebrates

Published on: January 13, 2023

Area of Science:

Ecology
Environmental Science
Biodiversity Science

Background:

Restoring ecosystem resilience and multi-functionality requires accurate predictions of animal biodiversity responses to environmental change.
Ecological models are vital for this understanding, particularly those encoding biological mechanisms and processes driving emergent patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

To review existing mechanistic and process-based ecological models.
To establish the need for cross-scale ecological models that integrate interacting scales of biological organization, space, and time.
To propose a path forward for developing predictive ecological models.

Main Methods:

Distinguishing between 'mechanistic' and 'process-based' ecological models.
Reviewing existing approaches and their limitations regarding biological organization and spatiotemporal scales.
Proposing systematic evaluation of scale-explicit mechanisms and processes to predict emergent patterns at alternative scales.

Main Results:

Mechanistic and process-based models have advanced understanding but are often limited to specific scales.
Cross-scale ecological models are identified as a critical next step for predictive ecology.
Model intercomparisons are proposed to reveal scale transitions and identify fundamental principles.

Conclusions:

Overcoming cross-scale ecological modeling challenges is essential for improving the evidence base to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystems.
Integrating big data and conducting cross-scale field studies are crucial for advancing predictive ecology.
Uniting disparate fields of ecology is necessary to address novel environmental change impacts on biodiversity.