Punctuated Equilibrium vs Gradual Evolution
Discussion
Jennifer Gidley:
"The term Punctuated Equilibrium was coined by palaeontologists Niles Eldridge and Stephen Jay Gould in 1972 to represent observed discontinuities and plateaus emerging from fossil evidence and in contrast to Darwin’s gradualist evolution theory (Eldridge & Gould, 1972). The term punctuated disequilibrium has recently been used to refer to sudden catastrophic climatic or ecological events related to global warming (Angelo, 2005)."