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Cities are driving evolution
#1
A recent study has shown that life in the cities is driving species to evolve. Some are just adapting to the conditions. Birds are developing longer beaks adapted to eating from bird feeders. Some have developed and immunity to our poisons. Rats, mice, cockerel roaches and bed bugs are no longer harmed by chemicals that used to kill them. 
It may be possible that new species will develop over time. 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/urban-...-1.4383733


We have thought of evolution as something that happens over long periods of time. Clearly it can happen at a much faster pace. 
Think about the changes in raccoons. Country raccoons find normal food sources and live in hollow trees an other dens. City raccoons understand about garbage day  and they know how to open most bins. They will enter houses by open windows and open cupboards and frigs. They take lids off jars. A friend came home unexpectedly in the middle of the day and found a raccoon sleeping on his bed. It came in an open window. We got it to leave by the door, but it was back in the window in minutes.

I feel like those of us who live in cities are living in a science experiment. Only time will tell how much evolution is taking place.
It isn't survival of the fittest, it is survival of the most adaptive.
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

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#2
This is very interesting! Though not such fun for those who suffer from bed bugs!

But to see marked evolutionary changes (such as longer beaks in birds who have adapted to bird feeders) -in such a relatively short space of time....is remarkable.

To my view this is too interesting to treat lightly. If what we are doing is causing such huge evolutionary changes, we must be very careful what we do!
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#3
If the observations are accurate then evolutionary changes can happen faster than we thought. We always think of animals adapting over a long period of time. This seems to suggest otherwise. 

There must be some natural variation within a species. The better food supply is in the feeders. Birds that are better able to eat from the feeders are more likely to survive the winter and produce offspring. Maybe it is that simple and direct. 

There are so many things that we do in the city it would be impossible for us to know how we are effecting the evolution of other species. We figure into this too. How are we evolving? I have no idea. I know that birds that are wild, but do not fly away from human presence will have more time at a bird feeder. The birds in my garden stayed and ate even when I was doing a fall cleanup. That meant that I couldn't prune the trees and shrubs where they were feeding. Those shrubs will be bigger next year. 
There is a lot of influence happening in both directions. Birds that like to eat what I planted will also do better.

I wonder how the colours of birds will change. Will we see more birds that blend in with city colours. I don't think birds will get brighter. Cities are usually not as colourful as the country. We may just have to watch and wait to see what happens.
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

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