Saltationism

Saltationism is "any of several theories holding that the evolution of species proceeds in major steps by the abrupt transformation of an ancestral species into a descendant species of a different type, rather than by the gradual accumulation of small changes."[1] An example of saltationism in evolutionary thought was Goldschmidt's hopeful monster theory. *Punctuated equilibrium originally incorporated saltationism but later was declared merely complementary to phyletic gradualism[2][3]

## See also[edit]

* Goldschmidt's hopeful monster theory
* Theories of evolution

## References[edit]

1. ↑ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/saltationism
2. ↑ Ernst Mayr, 1982a. Speciation and macroevolution. Evolution 36, page 1128
3. ↑ https://creation.com/punctuated-equilibrium-come-of-age