Evolution is an amazing thing. While it does sometimes take years for changes to take effect or for species to evolve, evolution can happen in the blink of an eye. Human activity in animals’ environments and ecosystems is usually the cause of such sudden changes. Animals have been around for much longer than we have, and our impact on their habitats is causing great selective pressures for certain traits to increase survivability in these uncertain conditions.
Evolution is the idea that certain traits and features that help an organism survive such conditions are passed on to the next generation. The passing of genes and traits between generations or populations increases the chances of survival and reproduction for that population if that gene is favorable in the environmental conditions. The goal of evolution is for each species to have a balance and fit best into its surroundings, but because of human impacts like climate change, we are fundamentally changing those natural surroundings.
While yes, animals can go through natural evolution or physiological changes throughout their life, like salmon that migrate from fresh to salt water to breed and eat, changing physically and morphologically to acclimate to the different environments, this is a natural process. When we cause large impacts and damage in their ecosystems, this is a forced shift or a selective pressure to adapt and evolve to match the condition.
We are heavily impacting the biodiversity and ecology of many animals’ homes and ecosystems; because of this, there is a shift in where certain species can live, mate and eat, which in turn causes them to impact another species’ ecosystem as they move to match the changing conditions. We see this heavily in the ocean, as gases and increased temperatures in the water are affecting the salt content and the acidity of the water.
As temperatures and climate conditions shift, animals shift and move with them to follow the familiar conditions instead of changing to match the new environment. Impacting migration patterns, mating patterns and seasons, feeding grounds and food availability. We see this in the ocean and in many migratory species. European butterflies have been shown to shift their migration pattern 71 miles north due to increasing temperatures, allowing for a larger sustainable habitat.
The poaching and wars in Africa have caused a mass mortality of many native elephant species. Because of the low survivability of elephants with tusks, there has been an increase in elephants born without them. This is evolution in action: the increased poaching of African elephants has caused a massive population decline, a selective pressure. Studies have shown that females born tuskless were less likely to be killed and were then able to pass that trait down.
If humans are changing how animals migrate, where they live and what they look like, how will that continue to change as we continue to destroy their homes? For how much waste we have accumulated and damage we have done to the world in the short period of time we have had the technology to do so, we have seen major changes in how animals behave and look. How different will they look in the future as climate change gets more extreme? While animals may have the ability to adapt and survive the dangerous conditions we are creating, I don’t think humans will be able to survive the consequences of our actions.
