Melissa Kemp is a conservation paleobiologist who studies how biodiversity has changed (and is changing) over time by integrating paleontology and genetics. She has studied how lizards in the Caribbean have evolved in response to changing ecological factors, including climate change. In one of her studies, Kemp identified that larger lizards were less likely to survive than smaller lizards. (1) Propose a hypothesis for what evolutionary mechanism could lead to this observation. (2) How could anthropogenic climate change potentially accelerate these evolutionary changes?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the key observation from Kemp's study: larger lizards have lower survival rates compared to smaller lizards. Consider what evolutionary pressures or mechanisms could cause this pattern.
2. Formulate a hypothesis based on natural selection. For example, hypothesize that smaller lizards require less food and are more agile, making them better suited to survive in changing environments.
3. Consider the genetic aspect of the study. Think about how genetic variations in lizard populations might contribute to differences in size and how these genetic traits could be passed down to future generations.
4. Discuss how anthropogenic climate change could influence these evolutionary mechanisms. Consider factors such as habitat alteration, changes in food availability, and temperature changes, which could favor certain traits over others.
5. Explore how the rate of these changes might be accelerated by human activities. For instance, rapid climate change could lead to quicker shifts in the environment, requiring faster adaptation and potentially leading to more pronounced evolutionary changes.

Key Concepts

Natural Selection

Natural selection is a fundamental mechanism of evolution where individuals with traits better suited to their environment tend to survive and reproduce more successfully. In the context of Melissa Kemp's study, smaller lizards may have advantages in survival due to factors like resource availability or predation pressures, leading to a shift in the population's traits over time.

Adaptive Evolution

Adaptive evolution refers to changes in a population that enhance its members' fitness in response to environmental pressures. In the case of the Caribbean lizards, the observation that smaller lizards survive better suggests that their size may be an adaptive trait, allowing them to cope with changing ecological conditions, such as food scarcity or habitat alterations.

Anthropogenic Climate Change

Anthropogenic climate change refers to alterations in climate patterns caused by human activities, such as greenhouse gas emissions. This change can accelerate evolutionary processes by altering habitats and resource availability, thereby increasing selective pressures on species like lizards, which may lead to rapid adaptations or shifts in population dynamics as they respond to new environmental challenges.