It has already been happening for decades. Plants and animals are responding to rising temperatures. It is easier for animals, less so for plants. Species can sometimes change their physical location. They can also evolve as a response to changing conditions. Animals with short life spans and which breed profusely are ideal species to study these changes. Vanessa Kellerman and Carla Sgrò at Monash University study how flies are responding to warmer conditions. Their ranges are changing, and their genetics is changing. Scientists are asking whether species are able to evolve fast enough for the rapidly changing climate and whether they are able to resist high heat…
Vanessa and I recently appeared as guests on Radio National’s The Science Show. We spoke to Robyn Williams about adaptation, migration, plasticity and evolution in vinegar flies, and what our research means in the context of species’ responses to climate change.
Genetics, evolution, biodiversity and climate change 