New research reveals that penguins exhibit the slowest known rate of evolution among all birds—throwing into question their ability to adapt to the breakneck pace of modern climate change
By bringing these two massive datasets together, the authors refined penguins’ evolutionary tree, pinpointed times when penguins became more diverse, charted changes in populations, and determined which genes helped penguins make the transition to the life aquatic.The analysis of the penguins’ genomes showed how the birds came to have rigid flippers and waterproof feathers for swimming, thick skin and fat to keep warm, and underwater vision and oxygen control for diving.
Scientists already knew about these adaptations, but comparing all extant penguins’ genomes allowed the team to identify the genes responsible for them. Tying the genomes to the fossil record also produced estimates as to when the genes, and different species, appeared. The last step was connecting it all to climate.After their initial burst of adaptation, penguins’ evolutionary rate gradually slowed down.
“This study has shown really nicely, in a genomic context, how diversification events can be correlated with major climatic events throughout the history of penguins,” says De Pietri.Many penguins adapted to previous climate swings with ease. But the rate of climate change today—at a magnitude more rapid than the shifts penguins previously survived—“Many penguins are living in ground zero areas for climate change,” says Ksepka.
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