1. To Ernst Mayr, what were Darwin's 5 theories? How do these differ from the prevailing viewpoint in Darwin's time?To Ernst Mayr, Darwin’s five theories were the following; evolution as such, common descent (all organisms descended from a common ancestor), multiplication of species (species multiply [origin of diversity]), gradualism (gradual change of populations), and natural selection (individuals within a species vary and those with favorable variations have a higher chance of survival). 2. What is the relationship and difference between "multiplication of species" and "common descent"?The difference between “multiplication of species” and “common descent” is thatcommon descent shows that all organisms are related to one another if they are traced back through a phylogenetic tree. On the other hand, multiplication of species states that species multiplied and differentiated into different species generating diversity. 3. To Gould, what are the three central pillars of Darwinian thought? What do the terms cover?To Gould, the three central pillars of Darwinian thought that he focuses on are Gradualism and Natural Selection. Gould focuses on three main ideas; agency, efficacy, and scope of selection. Agency refers to the level at which natural selection occurs. Efficacy determines whether natural selection accounts for all evolution and takes into account possible constraints (developmental/ structural) that may channel evolution. Lastly, scope of selection refers to whether or not gradual microevolution accounts for all evolution.4. What are some levels of selection that natural selection may act on? What level of natural selection did Darwin highlight?Some levels of selection that natural selection may act on are: genes, cells, organisms, groups (social insects), and species. The level of natural selection that Darwin highlighted was the organismal layer.5. Are macroevolution and microevolution two different mechanisms? What are the opposing views?Yes, macroevolution and microevolution are two different mechanisms. One of the opposing views is that macroevolution is evolution between species and microevolution is evolution within a species. Macroevolution is seen as the “study of the processes that cause biological lineages to diversify and disappear and the historical patterns that result.” Microevolution on the other hand focuseson change in gene frequencies. Microevolution also included the Hardy-Weinbergequilibrium as a null model. When equilibrium was met, it was assumed there wasno evolution. 6. What are some different ways "Macroevolution" can be defined?Macroevolution can be defined in three different ways, a taxonomic definition, an integrative definition, or a general definition. From a taxonomic perspective macroevolution can be defined as “evolution above the species level”, which ultimately means evolution that occurs between species. An integrative definition would define macroevolution as the accumulation of the processes that explain the evolutionary changes amongst major taxonomic ranks. Lastly a general definition would be one like the one given by Dr. Oakley, which states that macroevolution is “the study of the processes that cause biological lineages to diversify and disappear and the historical patterns that result.” 7. Explain how natural selection is a directional process yet depends on other, random, processes.Natural selection is a directional process because time is directional, which is thescale at which organisms reproduce. However mutations occur at random, which influence natural selection thus showing how the directional process of natural selection depends on random processes. 8. Does natural selection produce organisms that are perfectly adapted for an environment? explain your reasoning.Natural selection does not produce organisms that are perfectly adapted for an environment; it instead selects the organisms that are best suited for an environment to survive. Like Dr. Oakley said, evolution is not goal oriented. Thus meaning that organisms are chosen to survive because their features/ adaptations are the best ones for a particular environment. Just because organisms develop traits well suited for an environment, it does not mean that all the individuals expressing the same traits have equal chance of survival and furthermore be able to