Monday, 21 March, 2022, 20:37 – Researchers were able to document how plants adapt to cities worldwide, including identifying the genetic basis of adaptation and the environmental factors of evolution, according to a University of Toronto study .
Urbanization not only changes landscapes, but also plants evolve with them, as a result, a new study shows.
The University of Toronto (U of T) conducted a study using a white clover plant to show the changes in vegetation as the environment changes physically. Researchers, led by evolutionary biologists at the University of Toronto Mississauga Campus, reviewed data on the plant, collected by 287 scientists in 160 cities and 26 countries – from Toronto and Tokyo to Melbourne and Munich.
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As a result, scientists have found transparent evidence for the power that humans and cities have to drive the evolution of life worldwide. In particular, white clay has often emerged as a direct response to environmental changes in urban areas.
The results of the Global Urban Evolution Project (GLUE) were recently published in the Journal, Science.
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“We have known for a long time that we have changed cities in a very profound way and we have changed the environment and ecosystems dramatically,” said James Santangelo, study co-lead and PhD student in biology at U of T Mississauga, in a press release. “But we just showed up [the reverse] happens, often in a similar way, on a global scale.
The researchers were able to document how the plants adapt to cities worldwide, including identifying the genetic basis of adaptation and the environmental factors of evolution, the university said.
The white clover plant generates hydrogen cyanide to defend against weeds and increase its water stress tolerance. GLUE also indicated that urban clover produces less of it than the plant has done in the surrounding rural areas due to frequent urban community adaptation.
Changes found in herbivores and water stress in urban areas drive white claws to adapt differently to their rural counterparts. The discovery will have complications that extend beyond the cloverleaf.
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“This study is a model for understanding how humans change the evolution of life around us,” Rob Ness, an assistant professor of biology at U of T Mississauga, said in a news release. Ness co-led the project with Santangelo and Professor Marc Johnson.
“Cities are where people live and this is the most compelling evidence we have that we are changing the evolution of life in them.”
The white clay was chosen because of its existence and almost every city on the planet, according to the university, offers scientists a vital tool to understand how urban environments affect evolution.
The results of the study can now be used to plan for greater protection of rare species and enable them to adapt to urban environments, Johnson said, noting that it can also help in understanding how unwanted pests and Disease prevention can adapt to humans. Environment.
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