Topic: Research News
A team of scientists led by Marcos da Cruz discovered that animals inherit genetic variation from their ancestors to adapt to new environments. This finding suggests that maintaining large, genetically diverse wildlife populations is crucial for helping species respond to climate change.
Scientists have been studying how animals adapt to changing environments. A recent study published in Communications Biology found that much of the genetic variation used by animals to adapt to new environments comes from their ancestors, not newly evolved adaptations developed in response to changing conditions.
The research team focused on the bank vole, a hardy and widespread rodent native to Europe. They sequenced the entire genome of individual animals and compared populations from different climates to identify genetic variations associated with climate adaptation. The study took approximately five years to complete and involved collecting and analyzing large quantities of genomic data.
The findings suggest that maintaining large, genetically diverse wildlife populations is critical for helping species respond to future challenges. Dr. Hayley Lanier, associate curator of mammals at the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, said,
Implications
A team of scientists led by Marcos da Cruz discovered that animals inherit genetic variation from their ancestors to adapt to new environments. This finding suggests that maintaining large, genetically diverse wildlife populations is crucial for helping species respond to climate change.
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