Question

Some individuals agree that microevolution occurs (e g, shifts in allele frequency in a population across generations), but reject that macroevolution occurs, claiming that microevolution cannot create new "kinds" of organisms. For example, some will state that land animals cannot become animals that live exclusively in water (ie., whales).

What evidence counters this claim?

Note the key word in this question is "evidence". The question is not asking for verbal arguments against the claim, such as pointing out perceived flaws or logical fallacies in the claim. It is asking for empirical, verifiable observations made in the lab or field that indicate macroevolution happened.

Answer 1

Microevolution is simply a change in gene frequency within a population. Evolution at this scale can be observed over short period of time.For eg: between one generation and the next ,the frequency of a gene for pesticide resistance in a population of crop pests increases.Such a change might come about because natural selection favored the gene , because the population received new immigrants carrying the gene, because some non resistant genes mutated to the resistant version,or because of random geneyic drift from one generation to the next.

Evolution happened on a large scale eg: at or above the level of a species ,over geologic time resulting in the divergence of taxonomic group.Macroevolution involves variations of allelic frequencies at or above the level of species ,where an allel is a specific iteration of a given gene.A species that splits into two,or a species that changes into another species over a given time are example of macroevolution.These changes can be a result of species selection, independent evolution, historical constraints ordevelopmental constraints.

Patters ofmacroevolution are easy to spot on the tree of life when one considered big events like the abrupt appearance of tetrapods in the gossip record,long periods of stasis like that observed in sharks and crocodiles and adaptive radiations including the recent diversification of mammals that began about 70 million years ago.As one moves out along the branches of tree of life,the processes that produced the rich patters of biodiversity along a particular twig can be harder to understand and interpret.

Yet,there are many examples of macroevolutionary phenomena found in the order Primates, including stasis, adaptive radiations,extinctions of entire line ages,co-evolution and convergent revolution

Universal common descent ina general descriptive theory concerning the genetic origins of living organism.The theory specifically postulates that all the earths known biote are genealogically related,much in the same way that siblings or cousins are related to one another.Thus universal common ancestory entails the team formation one species into another and consequently,macroevolutionary history.Because it is so well supported scientifically,common descent in often called the "fact of evolution" by biologists .For these reasons ,proponents of special creation are especially hostile to the macroevolutionary foundation of the biological science.

The worldwide scientific research community from over the past 150 years has discovered that no known hypothesis other than universal common desert can account significantly for the unity,diversity and patterns of terrestrial life.This hypothesis has been varified and collaborated extensively that it is currently accepted as fact by the overwhelming majority of professional researches in the biological and geological sciences.No alternative explanations compete scientifically with common descent.

Thus it can be concluded that we cannot accurately claim against this with clear empirical evidences.