Home to the skylark - The Velux Foundations

Clocaenog (Wales) is a field experiment
in which for 10 years, areas
with natural flora and fauna have
been treated with warming at night
and precipitation has been artificially
eliminated for a period of approximately
one month per year. Warming
is created by night-roofing which
raises the temperature in the soil by
1-2 degrees, equivalent to how much
it is expected to increase over the
next 50-100 years. Likewise, drought
is created by roofing that automatically
rolls out when it rains. The effect
of these climatic manipulations on
genetic changes is examined in the
project for certain species of plants
and soil dwelling animals. Photo: Elin
Jørgensen
Man affects nature
The activities of man greatly affect the chances of survival of other
living organisms. Recently, it has become clear that our various
activities more or less are to blame for species becoming extinct
globally and locally. The rate at which species and populations
are becoming extinct has been estimated to be equal to or above
previous periods of mass extinction, and scientific studies are nec-
essary in order to understand the processes that lead to extinction.
The species are threatened by a combination of several factors.
Many populations have become smaller and more isolated due to
changes in the landscape. In small populations, related individuals
may breed (inbreeding) and erosion of the genetic diversity (vari-
ance) may occur. This may lead to decreased resistance to diseases
or reduced fertility. It also means that small populations will be
less able to adapt evolutionarily to changes in the environment, as
genetic variance is the basis for adaptation. These different factors
that make life in a small population dangerous affect and reinforce
each other in a so-called “extinction spiral”.
Global climate change
The entire world is facing the challenge of global
climate change. The climate is a crucial determi-
nant of which species are able to survive. Basically,
a species is able to respond within 3 months of its
environment having been changed: it may move
(migrate) to new areas where the environment is
better suited to its biology, or it may adapt to the
changes taking place in its current environment.
If none of these responses are possible, the species
may become extinct.
During previous periods of climate change, it
may be assumed that the individual populations
were to some extent able to find a suitable new
environment, e.g. by migrating south or north.
Today most species are “captured” in “nature is-
lands” that are surrounded by a ‘hostile environ-
ment’. The natural areas have largely been deter-
mined and local populations may find it difficult
to find new suitable areas, even if they are able
to migrate. This is why it is important to study
how populations react to climate change and
how they adapt to e.g. higher temperatures. This
knowledge will help us understand which genetic
prerequisites must be fulfilled for adaption to a
changing climate to succeed, how much time it
takes, and which groups of animals and plants are
particularly robust or fragile.
Global warming? Graphics: NASA
How do animals and plants respond to climate
change?
The climate is changing rapidly. Summers are warm-
er and dryer and climatic fluctuations are becoming
more extreme. This causes the living conditions for
animals and plants to change. Climate change may
lead to adverse living conditions for some species,
while at the same time, some species, e.g. southern
species, may be able to thrive in northern latitudes.
Changes in the composition of species may also po-
tentially affect species that are not directly affected
by climate change and may, thus, influence the en-
tire ecosystem network. Species of the biological
community affect each other, and the extinction of
one species may cause a cascade of changes that may
lead to other species’ disappearing or multiplying.
In this way, biological systems consist of a myriad
of interacting elements and each element cannot be
seen as standing alone. Interactions may e.g. be be-
tween predators and prey, hosts and parasites, flow-
ers and pollinators or seeds and seed distributors.
New invasive or newly introduced species (flora/
fauna pollution) may be caused by similar imbal-
ances.
This project focuses on whether species are able to
adapt evolutionarily and, if so, whether they can
adapt “quickly enough”. Evolutionary adaptation
implies genetic changes in a species’ genetic ma-
50 EVOLUTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE VILLUM FOUNDATION 51
TECHNICAL AND NATURAL SCIENCES