National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Photo: Evolution's "Driving Force" Shifts Based on Behavior, Study Says


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A brown anole lizard clings to a tree branch to evade predators.

When a predatory lizard species was experimentally introduced to six Bahamian islands where anoles had lived predator-free, the long-legged, fast-running anoles initially seemed to have the upper hand.

But within the space of a year short-legged tree climbers dominated the surviving population, evidence that natural selection can rapidly shift course due to behavioral changes.

Photograph courtesy Jonathan B. Losos/ Science