Morphological response of songbirds to 100 years of landscape change in North America.

摘要: Major landscape changes caused by humans may create strong selection pressures and induce rapid evolution in natural populations. In the last 100 years, eastern North America has experienced extensive clear-cutting boreal areas, while afforestation occurred most temperate areas. Based on museum specimens, I show that wings of several forest songbirds non-forest habitats have become more pointed over years. contrast, early-successional forests species less same period. contrast to wing shape, bill length did not change significantly through time. These results are consistent with "habitat isolation hypothesis", i.e., evolved response recent amount available habitat associated implications for mobility. Rapid morphological mitigate, without necessarily preventing, negative consequences loss direct exploitation or climate change.