Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms

Difference Between

Home / Science & Nature / Science / Biology / Evolution / Difference Between Atavism and Retrogressive Evolution

Difference Between Atavism and Retrogressive Evolution

June 24, 2020 Posted by Dr.Samanthi

The key difference between atavism and retrogressive evolution is that atavism is the sudden reappearance of ancestral characters in an individual while retrogressive evolution is the moving of species in the entire population towards primitive characters.

Traits can appear or disappear over time. Throughout the evolutionary process, ancestral traits have changed or disappeared over generations. Moreover, organisms develop from simpler forms to complex forms. Natural selection is a key mechanism of evolution. Atavism and retrogressive evolution are two concepts that explain the simplification of a structure. Atavism is the reappearance of an ancestral trait that had been lost during evolution. In retrogressive evolution, organisms develop into simpler forms from complex forms. In both instances, organisms move towards primitive characteristics.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Atavism 
3. What is Retrogressive Evolution
4. Similarities Between Atavism and Retrogressive Evolution
5. Side by Side Comparison – Atavism vs Retrogressive Evolution in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Atavism?

Atavism is the sudden reappearance of ancestral characteristics in an individual. Generally, organisms undergo evolution over time, and they lose ancestral traits. Some ancestral traits which were lost during the process of evolution over generations can suddenly reappear in organisms. Atavism refers to such recurrence of ancestral traits in a subsequent generation. Atavism has been observed in humans as well. Infants born with vestigial tails, humans possessing large teeth, and colour blindness are examples of atavism in human. Chickens with teeth and dolphins with legs are two more examples for atavism.

Difference Between Atavism and Retrogressive Evolution

Figure 01: Atavism

There are several causes for atavism. Due to a mutation, the dormant or suppressed genes can be expressed, giving ancestral traits. Moreover, errors in gene regulation can also reverse ancestral traits.

What is Retrogressive Evolution?

Retrogressive evolution is the return of species of an entire population to one or other of their earlier forms. This is kind of simplification of structure. Most of the time, in retrogressive evolution, the reappearance of ancestral characters takes place. However, unlike in atavism, the reappearance takes place in the entire population, without being restricted to an individual. Therefore, in retrogressive evolution, organisms develop into simpler forms.

Retrogressive evolution is the opposite of progressive evolution. In progressive evolution, simple forms of organisms develop into complex forms. They attain a highly complex structure. However, due to progressive evolution, they become more independent. Retrogressive evolution is common in parasitic organisms. Parasitic organisms develop their own feeding systems rather than deriving energy from their hosts.

What are the Similarities Between Atavism and Retrogressive Evolution?

  • Both atavism and retrogressive evolution are two phenomena that simplify the structure of an organism.
  • In both atavism and retrogressive evolution, organisms move towards simple form or ancestral form.
  • In both instances, organisms lose evolved features.

What is the Difference Between Atavism and Retrogressive Evolution?

Atavism is the sudden appearance of ancestral traits in an individual. Retrogressive evolution is the process of loosing evolved features due to the movement of organisms from complex forms to simple forms. So, this is the key difference between atavism and retrogressive evolution.

Below is a summary tabulation of the difference between atavism and retrogressive evolution.

Difference Between Atavism and Retrogressive Evolution in Tabular Form

Summary – Atavism vs Retrogressive Evolution

Atavism is the reappearance of an ancestral trait that had been lost during evolution. Therefore, ancestral traits can suddenly appear in subsequent generations, mainly due to mutations or errors in gene regulation. Retrogressive evolution is the conversion of organisms from complex forms to simple forms. Organisms lose evolved characteristics. In other words, it is the movement of organisms towards primitive characters. Retrogressive evolution is the opposite of progressive evolution. Thus, this is the summary of atavism and retrogressive evolution.

Reference:

1. “Atavism: Embryology, Development And Evolution | Learn Science At Scitable”. Nature.Com, 2020, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Tubal Pregnancy with embryo” By Ed Uthman, MD (Flickr, Wikipedia) – (2014). WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2): 7. DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.007. (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia

Related posts:

Difference Between Microevolution and MacroevolutionDifference Between Microevolution and Macroevolution Difference Between Early Man and Modern ManDifference Between Early Man and Modern Man Difference Between Lamarckism and DarwinismDifference Between Lamarckism and Darwinism Difference Between Paranthropus and AustralopithecusDifference Between Paranthropus and Australopithecus Difference Between Ediacaran Extinction and Cambrian ExplosionDifference Between Ediacaran Extinction and Cambrian Explosion

Filed Under: Evolution

About the Author: Dr.Samanthi

Dr.Samanthi Udayangani holds a B.Sc. Degree in Plant Science, M.Sc. in Molecular and Applied Microbiology, and PhD in Applied Microbiology. Her research interests include Bio-fertilizers, Plant-Microbe Interactions, Molecular Microbiology, Soil Fungi, and Fungal Ecology.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request Article

Featured Posts

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

You May Like

Difference Between CuSO4 and CuSO4 5H2O

Difference Between CuSO4 and CuSO4 5H2O

What is the Difference Between Adjective and Determiner

What is the Difference Between Adjective and Determiner

Difference Between Institute and Institution

Difference Between Institute and Institution

Difference Between Segregation and Discrimination

Difference Between Drunk Driving and Buzzed Driving

Latest Posts

  • What is the Difference Between Graphite and Lead
  • What is the Difference Between Symptom and Syndrome
  • What is the Difference Between Platelet Plug and Blood Clot
  • What is the Difference Between Agglutination and Hemagglutination
  • What is the Difference Between Fullerene and Carbon Nanotubes
  • What is the Difference Between Dialysis and Kidney Transplant
  • Home
  • Vacancies
  • About
  • Request Article
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2010-2018 Difference Between. All rights reserved. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal.