Posted on 06/25/2009 6:30:17 AM PDT by ZULU
Tropical mammals are evolving faster than those found at high latitudes or elevations, according to a study published online today (June 23) in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. This pattern had previously been found in plants and marine protists but until now was assumed to apply only to cold-blooded organisms. "There's lots of reasons to believe that temperature plays a substantial role in generating [differences in the rate of evolution]," said evolutionary ecologist James Brown of the University of New Mexico, who did not participate in the study. "What's particularly interesting here is that [this same pattern] occurs in mammals, which take their body temperatures with them wherever they go around the world." That means, he said, that "this [difference] can't be a direct effect of temperature per se."
In 1799, German naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt noticed that there was greater species richness near the equator. Nearly two centuries later, evolutionary ecologist Klaus Rohde of University of New England in Australia suggested a mechanism. "At higher temperatures, mutations are more frequent and generation times are shorter," resulting in faster evolution, said Rohde, who was not involved in the research. This could in turn lead to higher rates of speciation, which could result in the greater species diversity found in the tropics
(Excerpt) Read more at the-scientist.com ...
No comments?
We’re all speechless that there was no reference in the entire article to man made, catastrophic climate change wrecking everything. The author will soon be ostracized by his colleagues for being a right wing crank who doesn’t care about the planet.
Crevos in 3....2....
I thought this would smoke them out. Guess they are still trying to decipher the language.
“Alexander von Humboldt noticed that there was greater species richness near the equator.”
Golly, gee !!!
Has anyone ever noticed that virtually nothng lives near the North or South poles?
Well, what he was probably referring to was the fact that the NUMBER of DIFFERENT Species of organisms INCREASES as one moves towards the equator and DEMINISHES as one moves towards the poles.
There are fewer different species at a latitude of say 40 degrees north than at a latitude closer to the equator.
True. But the NUMBER of those different species is greater at the equator than at the poles.
No ethanol?
I think you’re both right ...
Meanwhile, in checking my reference (”Darwin’s Ghost” by Steve Jones), I discovered this vaguely related fact.
“Every few hundred thousand years, what was the North Pole becomes the South until the poles reverse once more in their endless dance. The switch is recorded in the rocks. Great stripes of magnetic reversal across the bottom of the ocean mark their movements.”
???????????
I think we are statistically due for a polar reversal. The polarity seems to be related to movements of iron magma in the earth’s cores and according to a recent show on tv there are magnatic anomalies which are appearing and grwoing on the earth’s surface, probably due to such an impending event.
Doubt if it will result in anything more than radio transmission problems until it corrects itself.
“Doubt if it will result in anything ...”
My thinking has it that Earth’s rotation is largely due to the Moon’s iron content pulling on Earth’s moving iron core, and that a reversal of Earth’s magnetic field would entail a monumental shift in Earth’s mantle and crust.
I guess it’s good to know that a pole shift dance only happens “every few hundred thousand years.”
(hint to investors!)
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