Evolution Under Pressure: How We Change Nature and How Nature Changes Us
For Oliver Thank you for helping me see the world in different ways and spreading optimism with every step you take Y R To my mom and dad who read to me when I was little and inspired me to never stop learning D T
1 Table of contents INTRODUCTION 4 20 40 60 80 102 106 108 114 115 116 CONCLUSION Acknowledgments Resources For More Information Making a Difference Index CHAPTER ONE Natural and Not-So-Natural How Selection Drives Evolution CHAPTER TWO Hornless How Hunting Hurts Rhinos CHAPTER THREE Pleasant Pork How Farming Picks Pigs CHAPTER FOUR Camouflage How Pollution Colors Moths CHAPTER FIVE Sticky Feet How Cities Shape Lizards
Introduction Have you ever looked in the mirror and wondered how you could possibly be related to a fish Or a spider Or even one of those blobby-looking amoebas you’ve seen swimming in pond water under the microscope Maybe you’ve watched your brother eat a banana and thought he looked a lot like a monkey Or tried to follow your sister up a tree and wished you were more of a monkey yourself If every creature on Earth came from the same ancestor why are we all so differ ent If we’re all related to one another why do just some of us thrive in the water And how come only some of us can fly Each of us has our strengths and weaknesses which allow us to coexist within the same ecosystem We can’t all live in the trees for example or they would get crowded But only humans have figured out how to exist in almost every part of the world even in space by doing things like cutting down trees growing crops building cities and inventing new ways to travel We’re the only ones who have altered our natural environment on purpose so it’s better suited to us rather than adapting to make us better suited to it How does this affect plant and animal interaction What impact does it have on our shared environment 1
