Climate Changes Effect on Evolution

Climate Changes Effect on Evolution

By Rachel Hilton

Sources

Merilä, J., & Hoffmann, A. A. (2018, March 21). Evolutionary Impacts of Climate Change. Retrieved from https://oxfordre.com/environmentalscience/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.001.0001/acrefore-9780199389414-e-136

Mochinski, Chris. (2015, May 11). Charles Darwin - The Theory Of Natural Selection. Retrieved from https://www.yo utube.com/watch?v=vnktXHBvE8s&feature=youtu.be

redofdeathGR. (2013, January 28) Miracle Planet HD - Part V: Survival of the Fittest, YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watchv=M9afAlC5xhA&feature=youtu. be

The Problem

Scott, M. (2016, November 9). Climate and human evolution: NOAA Climate.gov. Retrieved from https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-and/climate-and-human-evolution

Smithsonian Bigger Brains: Complex Brains of a Complex World. (2019, January 16). Retrieved from http://humanorigins.si.edu/human-characteristics/brains

Climate change is currently a large problem that is causing a possible threat to future species. Greenhouse gasses are being omitted at an advancing rate creating a change in the Earth's temperature. As this is becoming an increasing problem humans will have to learn to adapt to these changes.

Predictions

Climate change effects the water levels, as glaciers melt and water displaces. Due to the rising sea levels many individuals will likely have to move in land and avoid living near the coast. This would be considered migration.

Due to climate change the Earth is continuing to become warmer as more greenhouse gases are released. Human bodies are going to need to adapt to the heat by creating more ways to cool itself down. This could be through developing more sweat glands or reducing the amount of hair on the human body.

Sea Level Rising

Increasing Temperature

Quote

Examples

“As a species, we are held captive by the only planet we know that can sustain life…. If we have learned anything at all from our history, it must be that, in the end, life prevails and ultimately will be the victor on the miracle planet” ~Miracle Planet: Survival of the Fittest

Anthropologists have found that climate change affected the brain size of individuals. The found that as the climate became warmer brains began to grow larger. Some suspect, this is due to changes in diets as the increasing temperature effected plant life (Smithsonian, 2019).

One theory on how humans became bipedal is that the drying out of Africa changed the land from dense forests to large open grasslands that early humans had to learn to navigate without the use of trees to swing from, forcing early hominids to utilize their legs (Scott, 2016).

Brain Size

Africa

Analysis

The idea that life will always overcome any obstacles is the focus of this quote. This idea suggests that species will learn to adapt to their environment through changes in either their behavior or genetics so that they can survive no matter the changes that take place on Earth.

How the Earth Became Habitable

Effects on Species

Climate change has large effects on species as it can alter animals population size of the and the gene flow within different landscapes (Merilä, and Hoffmann, 2018).

Responses

Species have 3 main ways of reacting to these changes in their environment

1. Adapt through evolution

The Earth became habitable after pockets of methane gas under the sea were heated. The heating of the methane gas causing 5 feet high flames to form. These flames than omitted mass amounts of greenhouse gases which then

warmed the Earth to a habitual

temperature (redofdeathGR, 2013).

2. Go through phenotype plasticity

3.Migration

(Merilä and Hoffmann, 2018)

Migration

Adapt Through Evolution

This is when animals migrate to an area of which is like their previous environment (Merilä, and Hoffmann, 2018). This allows for a species to avoid having to evolve creating a less time consuming resolution.

Species can experience genetic mutations overtime where they will become adapted to their new environment and outlive the others without this mutation this is known as natural selection (Merilä, and Hoffmann, 2018).

Phenotype Plasticity

Natural Selection

The ability of a species to adapt to their environment to improve their chances of survival. Theorized by Charles Darwin after his studying of finches on the Galapagos islands (Monchiniski, 2015)

Very similar to adapting through evolution phenotype plasticity is when more than one physical characteristic is changed to allow a species to adapt to their environment (Merilä, Hoffmann, 2018).