Assertion 4.14: Punctuated equilibrium posits massive mutations which cause an organism to give birth to a radically different organism, like a reptile giving birth to a bird.
Analysis:
This is simply false. Punctuated equilibrium does not require macromutations (or "saltations"). It requires only that evolution proceed rapidly on the geological timescale (that is, over many millions of years), with long intermittent periods of stasis. This is entirely consistent with ordinary rates and mechanisms of speciation, since a single rate can be both "rapid" on the geological timescale and "gradual" on the biological timescale.
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