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首先我们要了解四个关于自然选择的新观点:
1. 达尔文认为自然选择是一个漫长的过程,任何一个人都不可能观察到其全的过程;
2. 新的发现推翻了达尔文这个观点;
3. 科学家将Guppy鱼分别养殖在天敌多和天敌少的两个区域内,花费十一年观察到了它们的进化;
4. 一对科学家夫妇观察到了 finch由于干旱引起的对于beak的自然选择。
接下来我们将这些观点进行一一地拓展:
1.达尔文认为自然选择是一个漫长的过程:达尔文认为,自然选择过程是一个长期的、缓慢的、连续的过程。由于生存斗争不断地进行,因而自然选择也是不断地进行,通过一代代的生存环境的选择作用,物种异被定向地向着一个方向积累,于是性状逐渐和原来的祖先不同了,这样新的物种就形成了。
2. 古比鱼在捕食者多的环境下和捕食者少的环境下有很多方面的不同,在我们托福考试的听力和阅读中,会这样说到:
Guppies can be found in two very different environments. In pools just below the waterfalls, predation is a substantial risk and rates of survival are relatively low. By contrast, in similar pools just above the waterfall, few predators prey on guppies.
As a result, guppy populations above and below waterfalls have evolved many differences. In the high-predation pools, guppies exhibit drab coloration. Moreover, they tend t< reproduce at a younger age. The differences suggest the action of natural selection.
The fish in high -predation pools attain relatively smaller adult sizes. By contrast, male fish above the waterfall mature later and They reexamined the guppy population 11 year after transfer, examining a wide array of characters designed to reveal not only the physical appearance of the guppy, but also their investment in reproduction.
Reznick`s team found that the descendants of the transplanted guppies matured at a later age and were larger in size than the control population living below the barrier waterfall with predators.
They also produced fewer but larger offspring per litter, devoting a small proportion of their resources to reproduction. In a word, their life histories had evolve to resemble that of guppies living in low—predation or predator—free communities.
3. 科学家夫妇的观察;格兰特夫妇多年在加拉帕戈斯群岛上研究地雀。他们说,这个群鳥中的大达夫力岛上一直生活着中地雀,但从1982年开始,体形比中地雀大一倍的大地雀也来到这/ 岛,两种地雀都以羨黎种子力主要食物。
在正常的年份,大地雀和中地雀都能找到足够的食物,两者在大达夫尼岛上"相安无事"。
但在2003年,这个岛发生了严重的干旱,大片廣黎死亡,使地雀的生存环境恶化。格兰特夫妇发现,2004年初,岛上有150只大地雀,235只中地雀,但一年后137只大地雀和152只中地雀死亡。
不过,存活下来的中地雀发生了奇妙的变化。格兰特夫妇发现,干旱造成的饥荒首先淘汰了緣形较大的中地雀,它们中有57%死亡。存活的中地雀平均緣长由干旱前的 11.2毫米变成了 10.6毫米,廣内的平均深度也由9.4毫米变成了 8.6毫米。
格兰特夫妇认为,这一变化就是自然选择的证据。他们解释说,緣形大的地雀适宜在廣黎种子充足的环境中生存。而在干旱发生时,緣形较小的地雀能吃到大朦地雀极难巧到的尺寸普遍很小的仙人掌种子。因此,小嘆地雀更容易度过饥荒。
最后,我们总结一下