Thread: tell me about this one evolution misconception :\

Originally Posted by Lëzen

Even though many say that evolution is gradual, it is, in many cases, more abrupt than that. Sudden, radical changes in the environment prompt organisms to make abrupt, equally radical changes in their own biological functions in order to survive.

I enjoyed your response, but you should probably describe what qualifies as abrupt and radical. To me, what I would consider a "radical change" would be considered abrupt if it happened within a few million years. I suppose you would say radical changes would be contingent upon the environmental change, but still, I'm interested in knowing time constraints and minimum-maximum rates of change.

But my definition of radical is pretty vaguely defined in my own head when it comes to this topic.