A reading that shows that climate change can be a selective pressure in natural selection. It explains how the selection of a character that provides an adaptive advantage in a changed environment, leads to the ‘evolutionary rescue’ of a species.
Students will learn about Snowshoe hares in North America and how reduced snowfall due to a warming climate, behaves as a selective pressure on their seasonal coat colour polymorphism. Students will learn how such evolutionary hotspots are made due to climate change.
Use this tool to help students find answers to:
Why is genetic variation critical to the survival of a species?
How does natural selection play a role in the evolutionary rescue of a species, that would otherwise be endangered due to climate change?
About the Tool
Tool Name
Research identifies areas where evolution could rescue animals threatened by climate change
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