1. small-scale evolutionary change within a species or population over relatively short time periods, typically involving changes in allele frequencies.
Usage: biology; commonly contrasted with macroevolution

Examples

• The development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria is a classic example of microevolution.
• Microevolution can be observed within a single human lifetime in fast-reproducing organisms.
• Scientists study microevolution to understand how populations adapt to environmental changes.
• The peppered moths of industrial England demonstrated microevolution in response to pollution.
• Microevolution involves changes in gene frequencies but does not typically result in new species.