Macroevolution

In other words, microevolution is the scale of evolution that is limited to intraspecific (within-species) variation, while macroevolution extends to interspecific (between-species) variation. The evolution of new species (speciation) is an example of macroevolution. This is the common definition for 'macroevolution' used by contemporary scientists. However, the exact usage of the term has varied throughout history. Macroevolution addresses the evolution of species and higher taxonomic groups (genera, families, orders, etc) and uses evidence from phylogenetics, the fossil record, and molecular biology to answer how different taxonomic groups exhibit different species diversity and/or morphological disparity. After Charles Darwin published his book On the Origin of Species in 1859, evolution was widely accepted to be real phenomenon. However, many scientists still disagreed with Darwin that natural selection was the primary mechanism to explain evolution. Prior to the modern synthesis, during the period between the 1880s to the 1930s (dubbed the 'Eclipse of Darwinism') many scientists argued in favor of alternative explanations.