Creation vs Evolution (Part 5)

Here's part 5 of the creation vs evolution series.

The Debate About Biogeography

Biogeography is the study of how different species of animals are distributed around the earth. As an example, consider the animals in South America and the Galapagos Islands. While animals in the Galapagos Islands resemble animals in South America more than animals in the rest of the world, they resemble each other best. They have unique traits that differ from the South American animals. Also, animals in the Galapagos Islands are capable of traveling long distances over water. This pattern also appears in other parts of the world.

The evolutionists claim that the fact that Galapagos Island animals can travel long distances over water supports their theory that animals from South America migrated to the Galapagos Islands. Evolutionists also claim that those animals that migrated became the common ancestors for the species there today, which explains the close resemblance between the animals on different Galapagos islands. Evolutionists believe that the migratory animals adapted in different ways, which explains the differences between the Galapagos Island animals and the South American animals. This evolution within a species is called microevolution. The evolutionists see that this process of migration and adaptation has happened around the world, and claim that microevolution is evidence for Universal Common Descent, or macroevolution. They conclude that biogeography supports their theory of Universal Common Descent.

The opponents of evolution agree that the process of migration and adaptation is a fact. However, they say that this fact does not support Universal Common Descent for multiple reasons. One reason is that it supports microevolution, but not macroevolution. Another reason is that it fully supports a polyphyetic view, but it does not fully support a monophyletic view. The final reason that the process of migration and adaptation does not support Universal Common Descent is that it shows an overall loss of genetic information, while macroevolution requires the addition of genetic information. The opponents of evolution conclude that biogeography does not support the theory of Universal Common Descent.