What does the study of macroevolution primarily encompass?

The study of macroevolution primarily encompasses large-scale evolutionary changes and speciation events. This area of study involves examining evolutionary processes that occur over long geological time frames, including the emergence of new species (speciation), the evolution of major biological trends, and the extinction of species.

Macroevolution is concerned with patterns and processes that transcend individual organisms and populations, impacting entire lineages and the broader tree of life. It addresses questions such as how species originate, how biodiversity evolves, and how major evolutionary transitions occur, like the movement of life onto land or the development of complex multicellularity. These themes are central to understanding the larger picture of biological evolution beyond just the immediate or localized changes that may be observed within a single species or population over a shorter time scale.

Other options focus on microevolution, individual behavior, and environmental influences on genetic diversity, which, while important in their own right, fall outside the scope of macroevolutionary studies.