Monday, March 19, 2007
Want to Evolve? Move North!
Researchers at the University of British Columbia have determined that speciation (and extinction) occurs more quickly in temperate climates than in the tropics - contrary to what has long been assumed.
"Our analysis shows that new species actually evolve faster as we move towards the poles. It would take one species in the tropics three to four million years to evolve into two distinct species, whereas at 60 degrees latititude, it could take as little as one million years." However, species go extinct at a faster clip closer to the poles, so there are more species in the tropics than there are in temperate zones.
Make sense, doesn't it? There are more environmental challenges confronting species in temperate zones ( for example, temperature and rainfall variations, which create more niche opportunities within ecosystems), so the possibilities of genetic mutations being selected for (and against, since extinction also occurs at a faster rate) increase.
Classic example of evolution in action!
"Our analysis shows that new species actually evolve faster as we move towards the poles. It would take one species in the tropics three to four million years to evolve into two distinct species, whereas at 60 degrees latititude, it could take as little as one million years." However, species go extinct at a faster clip closer to the poles, so there are more species in the tropics than there are in temperate zones.
Make sense, doesn't it? There are more environmental challenges confronting species in temperate zones ( for example, temperature and rainfall variations, which create more niche opportunities within ecosystems), so the possibilities of genetic mutations being selected for (and against, since extinction also occurs at a faster rate) increase.
Classic example of evolution in action!
