Current events discussion forum #5

 Intructions: You need to pick ONE of the week’s articles, read it, and participate in the discussion of that article by responding to the leader’s initial post.   

The topic I chose to discuss about was the implications that come with barriers for animals such as mountains and or water. In the article they discuss a way to test how mountains and water affect local rates of speciation, extinction and dispersal for species. To test their experiment, they decided to record neotropical anole lizards and take data on their actions. They hoped to see how barriers shaped evolution whether it may be through the species separating and becoming two different species and how far they would travel if they were separated by land barriers or water. They noticed that the lizards didn’t move that far in general and that movements over water were far less common for the same distance they would move over land. through their experiments, they were also able to measure the maximum distance that species travel before it becomes too far for them to stay as one species. Once they travel too far, they tend to separate into two different species to adapt to their environment. also coming from their data, they were able to determine that movement over water when compared to land had 3 times the effect of limiting equivalent distance for travel. 

We often hear species going endangered and perhaps extinct and we normally look at the other species responsible for their diminishing numbers. However, geography happens to play a substantial role. Whether it’s by mountains or water, it limits the distance a species can travel to evolve to the ever changing climate. What are your thoughts on the role of barriers for millions of years? We have a small time sample study done but what may happen in a decade, century, or even longer? Do you think this experiment can provide insight into other species such as one that are able to fly? Why or why not.  

Source: 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220321150414.htm