Anagenesis is a type of evolution where an entire species changes over time, causing the ancestral species to become extinct. This process contrasts with cladogenesis, where only a portion of a species evolves into a new species. Anagenesis is important in understanding how species evolve and why some go extinct.
Anagenesis is a form of evolution in which a species as a whole changes significantly over time, such that the ancestral species is effectively extinct. This is what many think about the evolutionary process, as entire generations of species develop and change over time to adapt to environmental needs or acquire new characteristics. When these changes occur, the previous species simply ceases to exist, as the change occurs across entire generations and not simply isolated pockets of a species population. Anagenesis contrasts with cladogenesis, which is a form of evolution where part of a species changes to become a new species.
Also called evolution or phyletic change, anagenesis is the form of evolution that occurs when one entire species transforms into another. As mankind has evolved from primates, for example, each species has changed and adapted to various needs to become a new species. The Homo sapiens extant now probably came from Homo erectus, but the process of evolution occurred for the entire species, leaving Homo erectus extinct. This same process of anagenesis can be seen in other animals, where ancient species evolved into newer species and effectively became extinct in the process.
The importance of anagenesis lies in the fact that it can be used to understand how species evolve as a whole and why some species end up going extinct. Such evolutionary changes occur in a variety of different ways, but are not limited to pockets of a species population. When documented visually, anagenesis usually takes the form of a single line with a slope that demonstrates changes in a species over time. This is in contrast to cladogenesis, which is often represented graphically as a line branching off to produce new lines.
Cladogenesis, unlike anagenesis, is a process of evolution in which a portion of a population changes and evolves, but not the entire species or generation. This leaves the original species more or less intact, allowing both the older species and the new species to coexist. The test for evolution from one species into a truly new and unique species is typically whether or not the two species can mate. In cladogenesis, the resulting species cannot yet reproduce with the original species; anagenesis is not subject to this test, since the previous species became extinct during the period of evolution.
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