Can Hunting And Fishing Hasten Evolution?

Discussion in 'Random Thoughts' started by odon, Feb 16, 2009.

  1. odon

    odon Slightly Popular

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    By CORNELIA DEAN

    http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/d/cornelia_dean/index.html

    Human actions are increasing the rate of evolutionary change in plants and animals in ways that may hurt their long-term prospects for survival, scientists are reporting.

    Hunting, commercial fishing and some conservation regulations, like minimum size limits on fish, may all work against species health. The idea that target species evolve in response to predation is not new. For example, researchers reported several years ago that after decades of heavy fishing, Atlantic cod had evolved to reproduce at younger ages and smaller sizes.

    Based on an analysis of earlier studies of 29 species? mostly fish, but also a few animals and plants like bighorn sheep and ginseng? researchers from several Canadian and American universities found that rates of evolutionary change were three times higher in species subject to¡°harvest selection¡±than in other species. Writing in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers say the data they analyzed suggested that size at reproductive maturity in the species under pressure had shrunk in 30 years or so by 20 percent, and that organisms were reaching reproductive age about 25 percent sooner.
     
  2. Jaitaiyai

    Jaitaiyai Cianpo di tutti capi

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    I'm not surprised.
     
  3. TheGanjaKing

    TheGanjaKing Newbie

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    nice try, but i'm still going to kill and eat animals
     
  4. odon

    odon Slightly Popular

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    Just make sure they are big, small, ugly and cute. :)
     
  5. TheGanjaKing

    TheGanjaKing Newbie

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    i will kill anything and eat it

    i'm not picky
     
  6. odon

    odon Slightly Popular

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    I'm just glad it is not occuring in the human genome.
     
  7. odon

    odon Slightly Popular

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    How about diseased rats...?
     
  8. TheGanjaKing

    TheGanjaKing Newbie

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    deceased rats?

    or

    diseased rats??



    either one is ok, but I prefer deceased diseased rats
     
  9. odon

    odon Slightly Popular

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    The second one...I just remembered you'd be killing them first.
     
  10. TheGanjaKing

    TheGanjaKing Newbie

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    well, I dont HAVE to kill them first


    killing them and eating them can be one in the same
     
  11. odon

    odon Slightly Popular

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    Now you are making me feel sick.

    I hope your gene pool ends with you :rolleyes:
     
  12. TheGanjaKing

    TheGanjaKing Newbie

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    too late, I've already bred
     
  13. odon

    odon Slightly Popular

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    Damn :D
     

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