The many ways toward punctuated evolution

Punctuated equilibria is a theory of evolution that suggests that species go through periods of stability followed by sudden changes in phenotype. This theory has been debated for decades in evolutionary biology, but recent findings of stasis and punctuated change in evolutionary systems such as tumour dynamics, viral evolution, and artificial evolution have attracted attention from a broad range of researchers. There is a risk of interpreting punctuated change from a phenomenological, or even metaphorical, standpoint and thus opening the possibility of repeating similar debates that have occurred in the past. How to translate the lessons from evolutionary models of the fossil record to explain punctuated changes in other biological scales remains an open question. To minimize confusion, we recommend that the step‐like pattern seen in many evolutionary systems be referred to as punctuated evolution rather than punctuated equilibria, which is the theory generally linked with the similar pattern in the fossil record. Punctuated evolution is a complex pattern resulting from the interaction of both external and internal eco‐evolutionary feedback. The interplay between these evolutionary drivers can help explain the history of life and the whole spectrum of evolutionary dynamics, including diversification, cyclic changes, and stability.