The NSS Bulletin - ISSN 1090-6924
Volume 47 Number 2: 86-88 - December 1985
A publication of the National Speleological Society

Can Evolution Regress?
Aldemaro Romero

Abstract

An analysis of the idea of "regressive evolution" is made under semantic, historic, and descriptive viewpoints and is concluded that the term does not accureately describe the evolutionary trend toward reduction or disappearance of features in, among others, cave and deep-se animals. Since the trend of reduction can be described and explained using the current evolutionary conceptual framework, it is proposed that we eliminate "regressive evolution" as a descriptive term for what are really only examples for convergent evolution.

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