Climate change can slash animal gene pools

[Boomer]

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996359

Climate change can slash animal gene pools
September 04
NewScientist.com news service

Climate change can slash the genetic diversity of animals, affecting their long-term survival, suggests a study examining the evolution of two rodent species over 3000 years.

Previous research has shown that climate change can influence animals' behaviour, such as when migratory birds fly south for the winter. And it can spur genetic adaptations in some insects in just a few generations.

But now, the new mammalian study suggests animals may lose the ability to adapt quickly because climate change can cause unexpected shifts in a species' genetic diversity.

"The prerequisite for showing some evolutionary change over rapid timeframes is that you need enough genetic diversity to select the particular genes that are advantageous under circumstances," says Elizabeth Hadly, a biologist at Stanford University, California, US, who led the study. "You can lose all the nice tools you have in your toolkit if the climate warms or cools."

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http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996359