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This article discusses three examples of adaptive evolutionary change: 1) The discovery of feathered dinosaurs showed that evolution can create diverse solutions and supported the idea of transitional forms. 2) A study of water fleas and parasites over time confirmed their interaction is dynamic and driven by natural selection. 3) Research uncovered the molecular mechanisms behind newts accumulating tetrodotoxin to resist snakes and clams accumulating saxitoxin to resist toxic algae, showing how similar pressures can lead to similar adaptations.

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10 views

Bio Paper

This article discusses three examples of adaptive evolutionary change: 1) The discovery of feathered dinosaurs showed that evolution can create diverse solutions and supported the idea of transitional forms. 2) A study of water fleas and parasites over time confirmed their interaction is dynamic and driven by natural selection. 3) Research uncovered the molecular mechanisms behind newts accumulating tetrodotoxin to resist snakes and clams accumulating saxitoxin to resist toxic algae, showing how similar pressures can lead to similar adaptations.

Uploaded by

jadenstarwars
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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This article covers three different examples of adaptive evolutionary change.

The first example discusses the


discovery of feathered dinosaurs, which validated the idea of transitional forms in the fossil record and showed that
evolution can create a variety of solutions. The second example explores the co-evolutionary arms race between
water fleas and microscopic parasites, which has been studied over time due to the ability to revive prey and
predators from past sediments. The study confirms that the interaction between parasites and their hosts is dynamic
and driven by natural selection. The third example looks at how biologists are uncovering the molecular mechanisms
behind adaptive evolutionary change, specifically in newts that accumulate tetrodotoxin as a defense against garter
snakes and in clams that accumulate saxitoxin as a response to recurring red tides. Overall, these examples
demonstrate the power of evolution to create solutions to problems and the importance of studying both past and
present interactions between species to understand adaptive evolutionary change.

Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution faced criticism due to the lack of the fossil record. However, the
discovery of an isolated feather of the Archaeopteryx with reptilian features but bird-like wings helped to link
dinosaurs and birds. In the 1980s, primitive birds and feathered dinosaurs were found in abundance in deposits from
the early Cretaceous period in northern China. These discoveries showed that feathers evolved for reasons other
than flight, such as sexual display or thermal insulation. The discovery of feathered dinosaurs not only vindicated the
idea of transitional forms but also showed that evolution has a way of coming up with a dazzling variety of solutions.
Flight could have been no more than an additional opportunity that presented itself to creatures already clothed in
feathers.

The Red Queen hypothesizes that species evolve together in competition, with predators developing new
weapons and skills to catch prey and prey evolving to escape them. The arms race continues as a result of Darwin's
"struggle for existence." The problem with studying is that they can only be seen in the present moment However, a
remarkable exception exists in the race between water fleas and microscopic parasites. Both prey and predator can
persist in dormant stages for many years in the mud at the bottom of a lake. The sediments of the lake can be dated
to the year they were formed, allowing interactions to be tested against past and future predators or prey. The
parasite adapted to its host, with its virulence and fitness increasing steadily. This was matched by the water fleas'
ability to resist them. This high-resolution historical record provides an affirmation of evolutionary theory, showing
that the interaction of parasites and their hosts is not set in time but is instead the result of a dynamic arms race of
adaptation and counter-adaptation driven by natural selection from generation to generation.

Recent studies have shed light on the molecular mechanisms that drive adaptive evolutionary change in
different species. For instance, some populations of Taricha granulosa newts have developed the ability to produce
tetrodotoxin in their skin as a defense against garter snakes that prey on them. However, garter snakes have evolved
resistance to the toxin. Researchers from the Stanford School of Medicine found that variation in the level of
resistance of garter snakes can be attributed to molecular changes affecting the binding of tetrodotoxin to a specific
sodium channel. A similar selection for toxin resistance is observed in soft shell clams found in areas of the North
American Atlantic coast exposed to saxitoxin-producing algae. Clams from these areas are relatively resistant to the
toxin and accumulate it in their tissues. Researchers from the Institute for Marine Biosciences found that resistance
in clams is correlated with a single mutation in the gene encoding a sodium channel at a site that affects saxitoxin
binding. These two studies demonstrate how similar selective pressures can lead to similar adaptive responses
across different species.

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