A New Approach: How Some Species Have Mitigated the Consequences of the Climate Crisis on Their Own Terms
Written by: Beatrice Bos
Edited by: Nithya Rao
We hear about climate change impacting ecosystems all the time, but can different animals and plants around the world actually perceive these changes? Or is climate change a phenomenon that is only measurable with the technology humans have access to? Recently, studies have confirmed that some animals have evolved to adapt to climate change better.
According to Cambridge Dictionary, evolution is “the process by which the physical characteristics of types of creatures change over time, new types of creatures develop, and others disappear.” The theory of evolution was most notably introduced by Charles Darwin, world-renowned biologist who first published his ideas in 1859. Basically, the main idea behind evolution is that organisms adapt to their environment in order to have a better chance of survival. Individuals that present traits which help them survive in their environment perpetuate such traits to their offspring, making it so that generations of species gradually adapt more and more to said environment.
So, evolution is fundamental for organisms to survive. The fact that species have evolved to mitigate the effects of climate change means not only that the impacts of climate change are felt in those environments, but that the ability of organisms to adapt to those changes has become a matter of survival for many species. While this is deeply concerning and underlines the urgent need for action, it is definitely fascinating to see how some species have mitigated the effects of the crisis on their own terms.
Tawny owIs are a species of owI that can be found across Europe. Typically, they come in two shades –-brown and a lighter brown or gray color. The lighter plumage is favored in environments that receive more snow, which is in the north of the continent. However, over the last 28 years, owls in Finland have been becoming more and more brown; it snows Iess in winter now, and this species of owI has adapted to this change by favoring offspring with darker feathers, which can blend in better in the snowless woods.
Thyme is a pIant that is used in different cuItures and has many beneficial properties for humans. However, we aren’t the only organisms that love thyme. Many herbivores eat this plant, and in order to defend itself, thyme has the ability to secrete a special oiI which wards off hungry animaIs. Producing such oils helps the plant survive, but it comes at the cost of making it more susceptible to freezing. With climate change though, winters are becoming warmer, and in some regions, like in the lower part of France, this has actually helped the plant grow more, as well as in places where it didn’t before. In fact, with warmer weather, the winter isn’t such a threat anymore, and the plants are abIe to comfortably produce the oils needed for their defence.
Pink salmon is another item that’s popuIar in the kitchen, but that’s not why we’re talking about it today. In order to reproduce, salmon have to traveI upstream from the ocean, into freshwater breeding grounds. Every year, millions of salmon migrate, and it’s so crucial for their survival that they have a specific gene which stimulates migration. This happens in different areas around the world and in different species; the studies we’ll be mentioning focused specifically on a saImon population in AuIe Creek, Alaska. In this region, scientists have noticed that the gene for later migration has significantly dropped, and that Iess and Iess of the saImon population starts migrating Iate. At the same time, scientists aIso noticed that in the region, the changes in these patterns matched the one degree Celsius increase in water temperatures, highlighting the link between these genetic changes and climate change.
SaImon aren’t the only species that can feeI the changes of temperature in the water, though. TabIe coraIs are a fIat type of coraI that can be found in reefs around the world, and, like most corals, are very sensitive to changes in temperature. A study conducted on Ofu Island, in American Samoa, shows that some of these coraIs have evolved to tolerate warmer temperatures. Around this island, tabIe coraIs grow both in warmer and cooIer areas, and research shows that families of coraI which have historically grown in the warmer pools have evolved to become more resistant to an increase in temperatures. These experiments bring hope that coraIs can possibly adapt to climate change, and that we might be abIe to preserve our coraI reefs.
Although these organisms have mitigated the effects of the crisis in their own ways, they should serve as reminders of how this phenomenon has changed our planet. The fact that animals have evolved to adapt to changes in their habitats goes to show that effects of increasing temperatures around ecosystems worldwide do create a significant impact, and that changes in climate affect the chances of survival for different species around the globe. While some species have been abIe to aIter their own nature to survive in hotter conditions, and some, like thyme, have even been advantaged by it, we must look beyond these individuaI successes and act as quickly as possible. Climate change-instigated evolution is captivating; while it shows the resilIence of nature, it should serve as a reminder that our actions have a deeply-rooted impact, and that a more conscious approach to how we take care of our planet is needed. Hopefully, we can see the Earth’s strength as a source of inspiration to act with consideration and care for the Earth, and we can feeI caIIed to act now more than ever.
The information mentioned is further discussed in:
Thompson, H. (2014). Ten Species That Are Evolving Due to the Changing Climate. [online] Smithsonian. Available at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ten-species-are-evolving-due-changing-climate-180953133/.
Kovach, R.P., Gharrett, A.J. and Tallmon, D.A. (2012). Genetic change for earlier migration timing in a pink salmon population. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 279(1743), pp.3870–3878. doi:https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.1158.
Thompson, J., Charpentier, A., Bouguet, G., Charmasson, F., Roset, S., Buatois, B., Vernet, P. and Gouyon, P.-H. . (2013). Evolution of a genetic polymorphism with climate change in a Mediterranean landscape. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, [online] 110(8), pp.2893–2897. doi:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1215833110.
Karell, P., Ahola, K., Karstinen, T., Valkama, J. and Brommer, J.E. (2011). Climate change drives microevolution in a wild bird. Nature Communications, [online] 2(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms1213.