Researchers have found that evolutionary processes could be occurring in wildlife up to four times faster than previously thought.
The team of 40 researchers from 27 scientific institutions used studies from 19 populations of wild animals from around the world.
Researchers at the National University of Australia conducted a three-year analysis of the genetic composition of the species.
Researchers have found that animals, including horned sheep (pictured), show evolutionary changes much faster than previously thought possible. Credit: Archive image
The lead author, Dr. Timothée Bonnet of the ANU, said they found that the genetic differences between individuals of the same species were up to four times greater than previously thought.
“It’s true that we don’t have a representative sample, so we can’t say for sure that evolution is accelerating in animals,” he said.
“But what we’re saying is that in the examples we have, evolution was a very powerful force over a short period of time, and that means we need to start looking at evolution as a force that can act in shorter time periods “.
Darwinian evolution is the process of natural selection, where external environmental pressures lead to genetic changes in species over long periods of time, as individuals with traits that promote survival and reproduction gain over traits that do not. a similar advantage.
The speed at which this process occurs depends on the genetic differences between the individuals of a species: the greater the differences, the faster the evolutionary changes occur, because there is more variety within the species, the “fuel “of the evolutionary engine.
The team of 40 researchers from 27 scientific institutions used studies from 19 populations of wild animals from around the world.