Catagenesis (biology)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Catagenesis is an archaic term from evolutionary biology referring to evolutionary directions that were considered "retrogressive." It was a term used in contrast to anagenesis, which in present usage denotes the evolution of a single population into a new form without branching lines of descent. Cladogenesis is the term used for branching lines of descent, i.e., when the evolutionary origin of a new form is not accompanied by the disappearance of the ancestral form.
| Basic topics in evolutionary biology
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| Evidence of evolution |
| Processes of evolution: adaptation - macroevolution - microevolution - speciation |
| Population genetic mechanisms: selection - genetic drift - gene flow - mutation |
| Evo-devo concepts: phenotypic plasticity - canalisation - modularity |
| Modes of evolution: anagenesis - catagenesis - cladogenesis |
| History: History of evolutionary thought - Charles Darwin - The Origin of Species - modern evolutionary synthesis |
| Other subfields: ecological genetics - human evolution - molecular evolution - phylogenetics - systematics |
| List of evolutionary biology topics | Timeline of evolution |
