Evolution: driven by environment (Evolution)

by David Turell , Sunday, June 09, 2019, 19:07 (1992 days ago) @ David Turell

Some lizards after Marie hold on stronger:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2018/07/hurricane-lizards-evolution-survival/

"The researchers first determined that lizards would outlast storms by grasping onto trees. Storm surge, they said, would make hiding in tree roots too dangerous.

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“'Using a leaf blower to simulate hurricane-force winds was very creative, clever, and resourceful,” says Amber Wright, an ecology professor at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. Wright was not involved in the research.

“'What makes the study interesting to me is that it links traits to survival through a specific mechanism: Ability to cling to a perch and to be a small target,” Wright continues. This helps biologists predict what will give lizards a leg up in surviving a storm—and ultimately what traits are most likely to be passed on through natural selection.

"Donihue and his colleagues thought larger toepads and longer limbs would help the lizards grasp the dowel. They were partially right—the surviving lizards had larger toepads and longer forelimbs, but their hind legs were shorter than their front legs.

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"After analyzing video from the experiment, the researchers noticed that the lizards lost grip of the dowel with their back legs before their longer front legs gave way.

So shouldn’t lizards with longer legs in both front and back be able to hang on even tighter? Donihue says that’s not clear, but there could be tradeoffs to growing larger overall.

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“Donihue’s study is one of the first to provide evidence that extreme weather events could impose rapid selection on species,” Langkilde continues. “It provides incentive for others to test for these effects on other species.”

“'Larger lizards are stronger, but they also run the risk of catching more wind,” he says."

Comment: The storm obviously picked the best equipped to survive.