Page "Punctuated equilibrium" Paragraph 18

The punctuational nature of punctuated equilibrium has engendered perhaps the most confusion over Eldredge and Gould's theory.

Gould's sympathetic treatment of Richard Goldschmidt, the controversial geneticist who advocated the idea of " hopeful monsters ," only exacerbated the matter, which lead some biologists to conclude that Gould's punctuations were occurring in single-generation jumps.

This interpretation has frequently been exploited by creationists to mischaracterize the weakness of the paleontological record, and to portray contemporary evolutionary biology as advancing neo-saltationism.

In an often quoted remark, Gould stated, " Since we proposed punctuated equilibria to explain trends, it is infuriating to be quoted again and again by creationists — whether through design or stupidity, I do not know — as admitting that the fossil record includes no transitional forms.

Transitional forms are generally lacking at the species level, but they are abundant between larger groups.

" Although there exist some debate over how long the punctuations last, supporters of punctuated equilibrium generally place the figure between 50, 000 and 100, 000 years.