In contrast to Darwin’s idea of phyletic gradualism, punctuated equilibrium emphasizes that speciation can occur ______.
after long periods of little evolution are disrupted by sudden changes, leading to rapid speciation
only when conditions within a population have reached their peak of potential for genetic diversity
in rapid bursts of spontaneous mutation that quickly even out into the otherwise consistent rate of change
at predictable intervals of time, based on the cycle of genetic drift within a geographic area
