microevolution
evolutionary change involving the gradual accumulation of mutations leading to new varieties within a species.
minor evolutionary change observed over a short period of time.
Origin of microevolution
1Other words from microevolution
- mi·cro·ev·o·lu·tion·ar·y, adjective
Words Nearby microevolution
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use microevolution in a sentence
Biologists use the phrase “microevolution” to refer to changes within a group of organisms over a relatively short period of time.
Benjamin Sarlin reads between the lines of her views on "microevolution."
In doing so, however, she manages to obscure the extent of those creationist beliefs by citing her acceptance of “microevolution.”
Scientific definitions for microevolution
[ mī′krō-ĕv′ə-lōō′shən ]
Evolutionary change below the level of the species, resulting from relatively small genetic variations. Microevolution produces new strains of microorganisms, for example, or the rise of a new subspecies. The accumulation of many microevolutionary changes results in macroevolution.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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