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Definition: The differences between marcro- and microevolution are a matter of some debate in biology - even to the pont where not everyone agrees that such a distinction should be made. In general, however, microevolution is regarded as evolutionary changes within a species, such that mating and producing fertile offspring is still possible. Macroevolution, however, represents much larger changes in the genetic code, meaning that even if mating could produce offspring, those offspring would not be fertile.
One matter of debate is whether or not the development of a new species should be classified as macro- or microevolution. Naturally, a new species cannot mate with the previous species - however, the final changes which cause the new species to emerge may have been quite small.
Usually, anything classified as macroevolution happens over such large scales of time that humans cannot directly observe them. Because of this, it is common to find creationists arguing that microevolution (within "kinds") may occur, but macroevolution is impossible. Requests that they explain what logical or biological barriers would prevent microevolutionary changes from becoming macroevolutionary changes over long spans of time are usually met with silence.
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Evolution & Creationism...
Is evolution a science? Is creationism a science? What is science? Is there evidence for either? Religious fundamentalists often attack evolution, but rarely from a positions of really understanding what evolution is and how it works. This FAQ will not only teach you more about the nature of evolution and evolutionary theory, but it will also explain some of the more common complaints and where they go wrong.
