How Humans Have Affected Evolution in Other Species
- RRHS ScienceNHS
- Apr 3, 2024
- 2 min read
By: Nila Kannapiran
Evolution is when a certain population undergoes a genetic change over time, due to the process of natural selection. Normally, this is a very long process, which can span tens of thousands of years. However, it seems like us humans might be speeding up the process of evolution for the organisms we share the planet with.
It is undeniable that humans have a tremendous effect on the world, with our cities, our diets, burning of fossil fuels, etc. As the conditions other species of organisms shifts, they are forced to quickly adapt. For example, elephants in Africa have long been targets of poaching due to their valuable ivory tusks. Recently, researchers have found that absence of a tusk, which was once a rare trait amongst female elephants (the tuskless mutation is lethal for males), has markedly increased in just two decades. Another example would be cliff swallows in the Midwest. As highways have been built through the areas they call home, many swallows have taken to nesting near or under the highways, and as a result, thousands die as victims of car crashes every year. Scientists studying the cliff swallows soon realized, though, that over the course of a couple decades, less and less birds were getting hit, and the wingspan of the birds had on average reduced by a few millimeters. Smaller wings would better help the swallows manuever around cars, and lessen their chances of getting hit.
Human impact on the Earth has caused the endangerment and extinction of many species. However, nature is adaptable and ready to change, as has been seen by the rapid evolving done by many creatures. As researchers continue to investigate the effect we have on factors of natural selection, we will be able to better understand and protect the world’s biodiversity.
This post precisely emphasizes how the humans exploitation of animals and resources impact the evolutionary response of animals, like absence of tusks in elephants, and reduced wingspan of cliff swallows (I assume these cases are all the result of the natural selection). This post also make us reconsider the legitimacy of environment destruction under the name of human development, and doubt if we can face the consequences of altering the nature of other species.
This post uses good examples to associate the effects of humans on other animals. Although it is already known of our large impact on the world, this blog addresses an interesting aspect of the effects of our presence.
This blog delves into a fascinating aspect of evolution that highlights how humans have significantly hastened it for other species. It's intriguing to observe instances such as tuskless elephants and swallows with shorter wings; these transformations demonstrate how animals are adjusting to endure the distinct challenges we impose. This prompts us to ponder over the numerous subtle adaptations possibly unfolding unnoticed in our surroundings.