HENRY

What happens when you mix evolution with climate change?

Evolutionary biologist Shane Wright of the University of Auckland, New Zealand, has shown that species evolve more than twice as fast in tropical zones as in temperate areas. As squid encounter warmer weather, for example, their bodily functions speed up and they reproduce more often, says Wright. As their population explodes, so does their genetic diversity. This, in turn, means more chances for genetic mutations to show up in subsequent generations, specializing creatures to certain waters. Eventually they become so unique that they’re different species altogether.

…Continued at The Smithsonian Magazine

Posted on May 1st, 2007 by Simon Greenhill