Proof of Evolution? Birds of Prey Avoid Extinction by Growing Longer Beaks in Just 10 Years
http://www.newsweek.com/proof-evolution-birds-prey-avoid-extinction-growing-longer-beaks-just-10-years-723904Rapid morphological change of a top predator with the invasion of a novel prey:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-017-0378-1
a, Snail kites are dietary specialists that have morphological traits, particularly bill size and shape, that have adapted to extracting apple snails from their shells. b, The exotic apple snail (P. maculata; right) is a novel prey21 for snail kites, because it is much larger than the native congener (P. paludosa; left), leading to implications for foraging and demography17,19. c, The invasion first occurred in Lake Tohopekaliga, where P. maculata had become established by the 2005 breeding season (orange). By 2009, P. maculata had established in several wetlands (red). Snail kite breeding closely tracked the invasion sequence, where bars show changes in the proportion of nests over time with the invasion (pre-invasion 2003, 2003-2004; initial invasion 2005, 2005-2008; post-invasion 2009, 2009-2012). Annual averages are shown, n = 1,778 nests. Test for change in the proportions of nests across regions over time: F 4,45 = 13.1, P < 0.0001. d, Snail kites do feed on the much larger exotic snails. The relative frequencies of snail sizes consumed by snail kites in 2013-2014 (n = 903) are shown, taken from snail shells collected at foraging perches throughout the range.
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Topic: New developments in the field of science (Read 447364 times)