Dear EarthTalk: Is it true that some wildlife species are evolving much more rapidly in response to the warming climate? -- D. Gould, Hendersonville, NCIt’s amazing to think that climate change is causing animals to evolve faster than they would otherwise, but the science speaks for itself. Researchers from Australia’s Deakin University found evidence of so-called “shapeshifting” in recent years in direct response to warming temperatures across habitat ranges. Dark-eyed juncos in North America also evolved bigger bills as temperature extremes ramped up across their range. Another study found that climate change has sped up the rate of natural selection for mosquitos that lay their eggs inside carnivorous pitcher plants.

Source: Daily Sun October 23, 2021 15:33 UTC