In the next few chapters of Paleofantasy, Zuk discusses many topics that are related to evolutionary
concepts we have discussed in class. A big idea that stuck out to me occurred in Chapter 3. In this chapter, Zuk really goes into the topic of the pace of evolution in different creatures, or in our case, the rate of adaption. When most people think about a species that evolves at a rapid pace, they immediately think of humans because "we are so used to the idea that the modem world is very different from the one in which we evolved" (Zuk 67). However, our partiality to our species breeds incorrect thinking in this regard. There are in fact many species that evolve much quicker than we do such as crickets (her personal study), guppies, and finches. These species can develop genetic changes in response to their surroundings that can enhance their survival within a very small amount of time (twenty or less generations). I believe that this chapter in its entirety helps clarify our lecture on Sewall Wright and his adaptive landscapes in a real life example. One thing that really got me thinking at the end of this chapter was the question she posed in ligh of her research: "where do humans fit on the list of species most likely to evolve quickly in the face of selection" (Zuk 90)? This brought to mind scenarios like global warming that are currently effecting our population. Will we as a species adapt fast enough when these events overtake, or will we be eliminated by selection? Fortunately, Zuk goes on to explain that there are certain criteria that humans do in fact meet. Hurray! I look forward to reading more. I am certain that Zuk will continue to present evolutionary concepts that we can relate to from our class room experiences.
Hey Tyesha! Although I am not reading this book...I find this post to be very interesting. A great point is made about people thinking there is a huge difference between the modern world and the world in which people evolved in. I myself often think of myself as extremely different from people of the past because I live in a "modern" time. In fact, people have not evolved that much at all (in comparison with the rate of other species). I think learning more about human evolution itself would be fascinating.
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ReplyDeleteHi Tyesha,
DeleteI feel somewhat obligated to respond to this post because of your connection to global warming (lol). I find the question of how quickly we can evolve to our OWN environmentally imposed changes fascinating yet scary . Fascinating, in the sense that there is still so much more to learn about the interacting web of energy exchange we call home. And scary in the sense that the types of changes we are making to the landscape are problems that span across space and time. The effects of green house gases in particular are hard to predict given their interconnected relationship to all life on earth. Also, GHG's or cumulative pollutants have effects that cannot be seen until later in time. This is what makes problems such as global warming so hard to solve. I am glad your author is raising questions like this one. We, as a species, need to consider what TYPES of changes we are making to landscape.
If we are altering things enough to wipe out entire species, what makes us think we can sustain ourselves given the same conditions?