August 1, 2017 by Jan Hoole Credit: Pixabay
Evolution doesn't have to take millions of years. New research shows that a type of lizard living on man-made islands in Brazil has developed a larger head than its mainland cousins in a period of only 15 years.
The group of insect-eating geckos from the species Gymnodactylus amarali was isolated from the rest of the population when areas of the countryside were flooded to provide hydro-electric power. This caused the extinction of some larger species of lizards on the new islands, leaving the geckos to eat insects that would normally have been mopped up by the bigger species. As a result, the geckos have evolved bigger mouths, and so bigger heads, that enable them to eat their larger prey more easily.
We've actually seen rapid evolution like this before, but usually in response to a natural disaster such as drought or climate change. What's different about the geckos is that they've evolved in direct response to an environmental change enacted by humans, demonstrating just how much impact we can have on the natural world.
The gecko study, published in PNAS, gives us an interesting demonstration of how evolution works, not just because the change has happened within our lifetimes. Those geckos among the original colony that had larger heads (and mouths) could eat a wider range of prey and so had more energy to put into survival and reproduction. As a result, they had more children and their genes for larger heads spread to a greater proportion of the next generation. This continued until larger heads had become a common feature of the group.
But why just those with bigger heads? Why didn't geckos whose whole bodies were bigger receive the same evolutionary advantage? Well larger bodies take more energy to maintain, so those individuals would lose the advantage that they gain by eating more food.
One of the most interesting things about this research is that the geckos on all five of the islands studied have evolved larger heads, even though they were isolated from each other. This suggests that increasing head size without increasing body size is the most efficient way to take advantage of the opportunity to eat a more varied diet than is normal for this species.
This kind of rapid evolution has been seen before, including among the finches of the Galapagos Islands that helped Charles Darwin formulate his theory of natural selection in the first place. One of these finches species reduced the average size of its bill in a period of just 22 years when a competitor with a larger bill colonised the island.
The larger species ate all the larger seeds with tough shells, a large bill that still couldn't compete became a disadvantage for the finches and so those birds with a smaller beak began to thrive. This is one of the fundamental principles of biology: if you don't need a particular structure you don't bother to grow it and save the energy instead.
A similar instance occurred in Florida when a lizard called the Cuban brown anole, which is much larger than the native green anole, colonised areas of Florida. The green anole promptly retreated up into the treetops and within 20 generations had evolved bigger, stickier foot pads, a helpful characteristic for the high life.
Human impact
Another example of rapid evolutionary change was found in Soay sheep on the island of Hirta in St Kilda off the coast of Scotland. After the residents of the island were evacuated in 1930, the sheep were allowed to run wild and, within 25 years, began to get smaller. The explanation put forward for this is that milder winters caused by climate change are allowing smaller lambs to survive, bringing down the average size of the whole population.
This suggests that we should expect to see many more examples of rapid evolution as the climate continues to change in response to greenhouse gas emissions. But the new study on geckos shows that localised human action can also interfere with the processes of evolution. Although the change in head and mouth size in the gecko seems benign, we should remember it came about because of the extinction of four other species of lizard in the area linked to the flooding. It's a timely reminder that climate change is not the only issue facing biodiversity and evolutionary processes.
Explore further: The world's largest canary
More information: Mariana Eloy de Amorim et al. Lizards on newly created islands independently and rapidly adapt in morphology and diet, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2017). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1709080114
Biologists at Lund University, together with their colleagues from Portugal and the UK, have now proven that the endangered So Tom grosbeak is the world's largest canary 50 per cent larger than the runner-up.
Australian National University biologists have found the first evidence of mass extinction of Australian animals caused by a dramatic drop in global temperatures 35 million years ago.
Which came first, overall bigger brains or larger brain regions that control specialized behaviors? Neuroscientists have debated this question for decades, but a new Cornell University study settles the score.
Scientists working on islands in Florida have documented the rapid evolution of a native lizard speciesin as little as 15 yearsas a result of pressure from an invading lizard species, introduced from Cuba.
A team made up of several researchers from Australia and one from the U.S. has found that bent toed geckos living on the Australasia side of The Wallace Line are evolving to grow up to twice the size of those in Asia. In ...
The extremely complex geological history of New Guinea has allowed many of its animals and plants the chance to grow different enough to make a name for themselves. In the case of two newly described and unusually large gecko ...
Attaining independence from one's parents is an enduring theme in the lives of many organisms. Birds must fly the nest, just as mammals must wean off their mother's milk.
Evolution doesn't have to take millions of years. New research shows that a type of lizard living on man-made islands in Brazil has developed a larger head than its mainland cousins in a period of only 15 years.
Noise from motorboats changes the behaviour of cleaner fish and the species they help.
Honey bees that consistently fail to respond to obvious social cues share something fundamental with autistic humans, researchers report in a new study. Genes most closely associated with autism spectrum disorders in humans ...
The announcement by researchers in Portland, Oregon that they've successfully modified the genetic material of a human embryo took some people by surprise.
A new technique developed by scientists at the New York Genome Center (NYGC) represents an important step forward for single-cell RNA sequencing, an advancing field of genomics that provides detailed insights into individual ...
Adjust slider to filter visible comments by rank
Display comments: newest first
Since evolution is a reaction to changes in environment, man is no more "messing" with evolution than naturally-occuring weather changes or volcanic activity. Imbeciles and propagandists.
Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more
Read the original post:
Big-headed gecko shows human actions are messing with evolution - Phys.Org
- History of Evolution | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy - December 9th, 2016 [December 9th, 2016]
- Evolution - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokmon encyclopedia - December 12th, 2016 [December 12th, 2016]
- What is Evolution - explanation and definitions - December 21st, 2016 [December 21st, 2016]
- Evolution (2001 film) - Wikipedia - January 28th, 2017 [January 28th, 2017]
- EvolutionM.net - Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution | Reviews, News ... - February 1st, 2017 [February 1st, 2017]
- YMCA evolution continues at lake - Gaston Gazette - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Ivanka Trump's Beauty Evolution, From 1998 to Today Watch - Us Weekly - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Lumpy, hairy, toe-like fossil could reveal the evolution of molluscs - The Guardian - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- How Evolution Alters Biological Invasions - ScienceBlog.com (blog) - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Cultural evolution and the mutilation of women - The Economist - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Late-night hosts on the evolution of Trump: 'Dickish to dictatorish' - The Guardian - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Gold's Gym Regina rebrands to become Evolution Fitness - Regina Leader-Post - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Incremental Versus Radical Innovation: A Response to Josh Swamidass on Evolution and Cancer - Discovery Institute - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Blockchain: Investment (R)Evolution For Developing Markets - Forbes - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- See the Evolution of the Famed Porsche 911 in 7 Photos - WIRED - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Exhibition charts 500 years of evolution of robots - Phys.Org - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- How evolution turned ordinary plants into ravenous meat-eaters - Wired.co.uk - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Are Evolution Fresh Drinks 'Poison'? - snopes.com - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Non-Chromosomal DNA Drives Tumor Evolution - The Scientist - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Chimpanzee feet allow scientists a new grasp on human foot evolution - Phys.Org - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- 'Goldilocks' genes that tell the tale of human evolution hold clues to variety of diseases - Science Daily - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Pac-Man is Coming to 'The Sandbox Evolution' Next Week - Touch Arcade - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Chimpanzee feet allow scientists a new grasp on human foot ... - Science Daily - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Bacteria sleep, then rapidly evolve, to survive antibiotic treatments - Phys.Org - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Orangutan squeaks reveal language evolution, says study - BBC ... - BBC News - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Evolution gives rhyme its reason - Aurora News Register - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Deeper origin of gill evolution suggests 'active lifestyle' link in early vertebrates - Science Daily - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- From Tara Palmer-Tomkinson to Cara Delevingne: the evolution of the It girl - The Guardian - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Banned TED Talk: Rupert Sheldrake The Science Delusion - Collective Evolution - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- VOTD: Watch the Evolution of Keanu Reeves' Acting Career - /FILM - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Pokmon Go Eevee evolution: How to evolve Eevee into Vaporeon, Jolteon and Flareon with new names - Eurogamer.net - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Horse evolution bucks evolutionary theory - Science News - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Samsung's Chromebook Pro highlights the category's continued evolution - TechCrunch - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Scientists solve fish evolution mystery - Phys.Org - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Wildfire evolution forces Forest Service into new thinking - The Daily Progress - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- How the horse can help us answer one of evolution's biggest questions - Raw Story - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- A primer on Darwin Day: Some religious groups embrace 'Theistic evolution' - LancasterOnline - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Apple: Evolution of in-car audio tech moving at 'speed of sound ... - Times of India - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Mariska Hargitay's Evolution from '80s Glam to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - TVOvermind - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Evolution of baseball from power to speed has left SBs behind ... - Chicago Sun-Times - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- More order with less judgment: An optimal theory of the evolution of cooperation - Science Daily - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- J. Albert C. Uy speaks on evolution, biodiversity in bellied flycatcher population - The College Reporter - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- See the Evolution of Movie Magic With Every Oscar Winner for Visual Effects in History - Gizmodo - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Numerology: Here's What Your Name Says About You - Collective Evolution - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- The Evolution of Valentine's Day - Inside Science News Service - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Why evolution may be tech billionaires' biggest enemy - The Week Magazine - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Community Viewpoint: Evolution, like gravity, is much more than theory it is a fact - Kdminer - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- How the horse can help us answer one of evolution's biggest questions - Phys.Org - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- How evolution alters biological invasions - Science Daily - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Cockeyed squid shines light on deep sea evolution - Christian Science Monitor - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Eye Evolution: A Closer Look - Discovery Institute - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Evolution always wins: University of Idaho video game uses mutating aliens to teach science concepts - The Spokesman-Review - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Geneticists track the evolution of parenting - Phys.Org - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- How this cockeyed squid shines a light on deep sea evolution - Christian Science Monitor - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- 4 Possible Roadmaps For macOS and iOS Evolution - The Mac Observer (blog) - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- The Evolution of the Energy Capital of the World - Texas Monthly - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Humons presents an atypical dance evolution - Detroit Metro Times - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Pokemon Go Adds 80 Generation 2 Pokemon, New Evolution Items This Week - IGN - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Fossil discovery rewrites understanding of reproductive evolution ... - Science Daily - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- 'X-Men: Evolution' Is the Gateway Drug of Comic Book Shows - Geek - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- A cultural catch: Evolution of wooden halibut hooks carved by native ... - Science Daily - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Bremerton's Fitness Evolution now Planet Fitness - Kitsap Sun (blog) - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Eye Evolution: The Waiting Is the Hardest Part - Discovery Institute - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Evolution Of The Yeezy: 2009-2017 - HotNewHipHop - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Prebiotic evolution: Hairpins help each other out - Science Daily - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- This 'Live Birth' Fossil Could Change Humanity's Understanding Of Evolution - Daily Caller - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Mysterious Ancient Stonehenge-Like Circles Found in Amazon Rainforest - Collective Evolution - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- 'Pokemon Go': How to Evolve Poliwhirl Into Politoed - Heavy.com - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- 'Pokemon Go': How to Evolve Slowpoke Into Slowbro or Slowking - Heavy.com - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- 'Pokemon Go': How to Evolve Gloom Into Bellossom - Heavy.com - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- Pokmon Go Dragon Scale - how to evolve Seadra into Kingdra and how to get the Dragon Scale - Eurogamer.net - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- Pokmon Go Eevee evolution: How to evolve Eevee into Umbreon, Espeon, Vaporeon, Jolteon and Flareon with new ... - Eurogamer.net - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- University of Pittsburgh guest speaker discloses evolution findings - UTA The Shorthorn - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- 'Pokemon Go' Special Items: Drop Rates for Evolution Items & Berries at Pokestops - Heavy.com - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- How Vedic Philosophy Influenced Nikola Tesla's Idea of 'Free Energy' - Collective Evolution - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Migration to America took long enough for evolution to happen on the way - Ars Technica - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- How To Choose Your Eevee Evolution In 'Pokmon GO:' Umbreon And Espeon Edition - Forbes - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Evolution Items - IGN - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Congo River fish evolution shaped by intense rapids: Genomic study ... - Science Daily - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Pokmon Go - How to evolve, use Special Items, when to evolve or Power Up your Pokmon - Eurogamer.net - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]