University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists have found that a constantly fluctuating environment can enable some species to invade new areas by helping them maintain the genetic diversity they need to settle into their new homes.
University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists have found that a constantly fluctuating environment can enable some species to invade new areas by helping them maintain the genetic diversity they need to settle into their new homes.
And once those invasive species arrive, adaptation can take surprisingly similar paths. Evolution can act on exactly the same genomic regions, even during independent invasions across widely separated populations and on opposite sides of a continent.
The findings could make future encroachments easier to predict, a huge priority since invasive species cause hundreds of billions of dollars in damage each year. And as climate change forces more species to move or perish, the ability to predict adaptability could help us understand which organisms will survive.
Read more at: University of Wisconsin-Madison
The copepod Eurytemora affinis is a small, ubiquitous crustacean found throughout the world’s oceans. It has also managed to invade freshwater lakes. (Photo Credit: CAROL EUNMI LEE)
