Tropical mammals are evolving faster than those found at high latitudes or elevations, according to researchers. This pattern had previously been found in plants and marine protists but until now was assumed to apply only to cold-blooded organisms. Climate could have a direct effect on the speed of “molecular evolution” in mammals, according to the study published in Proceedings of Royal Society B. Researchers have found that, among pairs of mammals of the same species, the DNA of those living in warmer climates changes at a faster rate. These mutations where one letter of the DNA code is substituted for another are a first step in evolution. DNA can mutate and change imperceptibly every time a cell divides and makes a copy of it. But when one of these mutations causes a change that is advantageous for the animal for example rendering it resistant to a particular disease it is often selected for, or passed down of that same species.
No comments:
Post a Comment