"punctuated equilibrium" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "punctuated equilibria",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "punctuated equilibria",
        "head": "punctuated equilibrium"
      },
      "expansion": "punctuated equilibrium (plural punctuated equilibria)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A theory of evolution, holding that evolutionary change tends to be characterized by long periods of stability, or equilibrium, punctuated by episodes of very fast development."
      ],
      "id": "en-punctuated_equilibrium-en-noun-JivBTehj",
      "links": [
        [
          "theory",
          "theory"
        ],
        [
          "evolution",
          "evolution"
        ],
        [
          "period",
          "period"
        ],
        [
          "stability",
          "stability"
        ],
        [
          "development",
          "development"
        ]
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "punctuated equilibrium"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "punctuated equilibrium"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "punctuated equilibria",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "punctuated equilibria",
        "head": "punctuated equilibrium"
      },
      "expansion": "punctuated equilibrium (plural punctuated equilibria)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A theory of evolution, holding that evolutionary change tends to be characterized by long periods of stability, or equilibrium, punctuated by episodes of very fast development."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "theory",
          "theory"
        ],
        [
          "evolution",
          "evolution"
        ],
        [
          "period",
          "period"
        ],
        [
          "stability",
          "stability"
        ],
        [
          "development",
          "development"
        ]
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "punctuated equilibrium"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "punctuated equilibrium"
}