Q1) Evolution happens
for change
for worse
for adaption
Answers
Answer:
The history of life on Earth has been a series of evolutionary expansions of biological diversity that were repeatedly reversed by minor or major geophysical disturbances [1]. Perturbations originated either endogenously within the Earth (e.g. volcanoes) or exogenously from without (e.g. impacts of extra-terrestrial bodies). Through direct and indirect (climatic) effects, these catastrophic events decimated communities often non-randomly, with the result that diversity renewal began from compositionally altered communities and took new evolutionary directions [2].
Today human activities are causing increases in atmospheric CO2 and global temperatures at a rate unprecedented in recent geological history, with concomitant shifts in rainfall patterns and species distributions. Climate change, increased CO2 and its direct physiological effects, and deoxygenation of subsurface water masses in the oceans are tightly linked in the Earth system and influence populations of organisms simultaneously and synergistically.
According to the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the probability of extreme climatic events associated with global warming is also increasing [3–4]. This has alerted ecologists to the likelihood of more frequent or more severe disturbances to ecological communities caused by droughts, storms, exceptional rainfall, heat waves, fires and abrupt changes in ocean circulation [3,5–8]. Indeed on a small and local scale this has been quantified, following droughts [9] and floods [10].
The purpose of this article is to consider how extreme contemporary events are responsible for evolutionary change as well as ecological change [11,12]. We begin by discussing the scale and scope of extreme events. We then review the role of physiology, and studies of isolated fish populations, birds on islands, plant populations and plant–animal interactions, before returning to the really long-term context of geological history. Contemporary evolution in response to extreme events has rarely been studied simply because such events themselves are rare. Understanding contemporary evolution will be improved by a combination of short-term perturbation experiments and long-term studies that opportunistically take advantage of rare events.
Explanation:
Answer:
The history of life on Earth has been a series of evolutionary expansions of biological diversity that were repeatedly reversed by minor or major geophysical disturbances [1]. Perturbations originated either endogenously within the Earth (e.g. volcanoes) or exogenously from without (e.g. impacts of extra-terrestrial bodies). Through direct and indirect (climatic) effects, these catastrophic events decimated communities often non-randomly, with the result that diversity renewal began from compositionally altered communities and took new evolutionary directions [2].
Today human activities are causing increases in atmospheric CO2 and global temperatures at a rate unprecedented in recent geological history, with concomitant shifts in rainfall patterns and species distributions. Climate change, increased CO2 and its direct physiological effects, and deoxygenation of subsurface water masses in the oceans are tightly linked in the Earth system and influence populations of organisms simultaneously and synergistically.
According to the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the probability of extreme climatic events associated with global warming is also increasing [3–4]. This has alerted ecologists to the likelihood of more frequent or more severe disturbances to ecological communities caused by droughts, storms, exceptional rainfall, heat waves, fires and abrupt changes in ocean circulation [3,5–8]. Indeed on a small and local scale this has been quantified, following droughts [9] and floods [10].
The purpose of this article is to consider how extreme contemporary events are responsible for evolutionary change as well as ecological change [11,12]. We begin by discussing the scale and scope of extreme events. We then review the role of physiology, and studies of isolated fish populations, birds on islands, plant populations and plant–animal interactions, before returning to the really long-term context of geological history. Contemporary evolution in response to extreme events has rarely been studied simply because such events themselves are rare. Understanding contemporary evolution will be improved by a combination of short-term perturbation experiments and long-term studies that opportunistically take advantage of rare events.