Without Competition, Island Frogs Evolve Rapidly
Summary:
Ben Evans and his team at McMaster University in Hamilton were able to discover that a new fanged frog species were evolving exponentially on Sulawesi island. They able to discover 9 new species, out of a possible 13. Characteristics such as body length, thickness of webbed feet, and behaviour when raising their children differed between the species. The island of Sulawesi had the same species of the frog as the nearby Phillipines archipelago, despite the island being a great deal smaller. The reason for this diversity is explained to be because of the low competition on the island. Frogs that would typically compete with the fanged species, were absent, which allowed for the frogs to adapt. This exhibits the Darwinist theory of 'adaptive radiation', which is that a specie grows diversely when put into different environments, where varying opportunities and problems exist.
Reflection:
This article expresses a new, important discovery. I feel that it is quite interesting that so many species of frog were found on the island of Sulawesi despite its fairly small surface area. This article is important knowledge to acquire because it gives you a real life example of Darwin's theory of adaptive radiation, and the less competion in a given area, the species is outleted to thrive. To me as a student and citizen it does not really help except provides an example of interesting phenomenon. As a professional, it would be a little more intriguing as it would exemplify a theory that cannot be seen clearly today. There is not much that could be done next except build off of the data.
Reference:
University of Chicago Press Journals (2011, July 27). Without competition, island frogs evolve rapidly. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 17, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110727164711.htm
Ben Evans and his team at McMaster University in Hamilton were able to discover that a new fanged frog species were evolving exponentially on Sulawesi island. They able to discover 9 new species, out of a possible 13. Characteristics such as body length, thickness of webbed feet, and behaviour when raising their children differed between the species. The island of Sulawesi had the same species of the frog as the nearby Phillipines archipelago, despite the island being a great deal smaller. The reason for this diversity is explained to be because of the low competition on the island. Frogs that would typically compete with the fanged species, were absent, which allowed for the frogs to adapt. This exhibits the Darwinist theory of 'adaptive radiation', which is that a specie grows diversely when put into different environments, where varying opportunities and problems exist.
Reflection:
This article expresses a new, important discovery. I feel that it is quite interesting that so many species of frog were found on the island of Sulawesi despite its fairly small surface area. This article is important knowledge to acquire because it gives you a real life example of Darwin's theory of adaptive radiation, and the less competion in a given area, the species is outleted to thrive. To me as a student and citizen it does not really help except provides an example of interesting phenomenon. As a professional, it would be a little more intriguing as it would exemplify a theory that cannot be seen clearly today. There is not much that could be done next except build off of the data.
Reference:
University of Chicago Press Journals (2011, July 27). Without competition, island frogs evolve rapidly. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 17, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110727164711.htm