Have Human Actions Changed The Course Of Evolution?

Presented By: Raunak Roy Department Of Zoology

 The universe in its very fabric is inherently complex and to this end, evolution yields complexity in organisms.

Hence, Change is both inherent and inevitable.

Evolutionary change would occur, with or without human intervention.

 Molecular Clock Hypothesis was proposed by Emile Zuckerland and Linus Pauling based on the observation that the rate of evolutionary change of any specified protein was approximately constant over time and over different lineages. Motoo Kimuras theory on evolution occurring through neutral mutations which in turn result from the RNA wobble and redundancy of the genetic code. Both of these theories exemplify how change is not only inherent but also influenced by chance.

Have Human Actions Changed The Course Of Evolution?

Evolutionary processes may have general patterns but the process itself doesnt have a fixed course.
The late Stephen Jay Gould has written that if we were to rewind the tape of evolutionary history and play it again, the results would not be the same [S.J.Gould, Wonderful Life, 1989]

 Random processes play a major role in biological evolution. Mutations that were present at the right time, in the right species, in the right environment. Without a path one cant go astray Evolution has no fixed course or fixed goal, because, science defines no purpose for nature and natural processes. Humans are a product of these very processes therefore human actions are as natural as any other action by any other organism. So, coinage of terms detrimental and beneficial are just a matter of perception influenced by the human conscience.

Human actions arent always detrimental

Research on Heteropteran species in the Canary Islands suggest that agriculture has led to an increase in species richness. New plants introduced by humans were exploited by the non endemic heteroptera, which led to increase in their numbers favouring other entomophagesand so on and so forth..up the food chain.

 The results were obtained using Bonferroni sequential test. Indicated that the number of species of heteroptera followed a linear regression with:
o o o o No. of plant species No. of inhabitants Total cropland surface No. of natural habitats
Increased due introduction of endemic flora agriculture to non for

A direct anthropogenic factor

 Research on fishes in world river systems. Data was compiled from 1055 river basins worldwide.

 Three major hypotheses, which are not necessarily mutually exclusive, have been proposed to explain the establishment of nonnative species: The human activity hypothesis, which argues that human activities facilitate the establishment of non-native species by disturbing natural landscapes and by increasing propagule pressure; The biotic resistance hypothesis, predicting that species-rich communities will readily impede the establishment of non-native species; and The biotic acceptance hypothesis, predicting that environmentally suitable habitats for native species are also suitable for non-native species.

 Results show that the human activity indicators account for most of the global variation, associated with increase in non-native species richness, which is highly consistent with the human activity hypothesis. In contrast, our results do not provide support for either the biotic acceptance or the biotic resistance hypothesis.

 Research on species diversity pattern in the US of plants indicate that the number of established nonnative plant species per state does tend to outpace the number of extinct and threatened species per state. The net gain in plant species is strongly and positively correlated with human population density. Continuation of this trend predicts substantial gains in net plant species richness for all states in the United States as human population grows.

 Many animal and plant species have adapted to the new stresses, food sources, predators and threats in urban and suburban environments, where they thrive in close proximity to humans. Their success provides researchers with valuable (and sometimes unexpected) insights into evolutionary and selective processes. Because these adaptations have had to be rapid, cities are, in some respects, ideal laboratories for studying natural selection. A British study of London rooftops (Grant, 2006) found a large collection of spiders, beetles, wasps, ants and bees, 10% of which were desig-nated as rare by the UK agency Natural England (Sheffield, UK).

 For species that rely on sound to communicate or execute mating strategies, noise pollution presents a problem. Extensive studies on songbirds show how many species have adapted by adjusting various aspects of their song to overcome residual noise. They can adjust the amplitude of their song to overcome anthropogenic background noise. Such noise is most pervasive at lower frequencies, and it is therefore unsurprising that song sparrows, for example, have been found to raise the frequency of their low notes and concentrate their energy on high notes, with which there is less interference (Wood & Yezerinac, 2006). These adaptations are usually strongest in male birds because of the importance of song in attracting mates. This enhances their reproductive success in the wild as well..

Even if it is negative, it is natural

Evolutionary processes like natural selection (even if the selection pressure is of anthropogenic origin) is not like mother Nature watching over us. It is a completely impersonal process. The notion that many species are adversely affected by human actions, and that this is bad is a matter of perspective. For, even in conservation efforts the end goal is to provide a better environment, for the better survivability of humans! Which is a natural instinct for any organism. So, why view human beings and their actions as something removed from the system? (the ever large human ego, maybe?)

 The impact of mankind on biodiversity has clearly been detrimental to many animals and plants, but the story is more complex and subtle than has been appreciated. Urbanization provides ready-made laboratories for studying evolution and adaptive processes, and examining the influence of humans on flora and fauna creates the potential to mitigate any negative effects. According to John Marzluff, a professor of wildlife science at the University of Washington (Seattle, USA) we should be more positive about our relationship with the natural world, in his words, We should celebrate the creative aspects of our impact on animals in addition to concerning ourselves with the negative effects.

Thank you

Research Literature cited: