Climate change drives microevolution in a wild bird

Patrik Karell (), Kari Ahola, Teuvo Karstinen, Jari Valkama and Jon E. Brommer
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Patrik Karell: Bird Ecology Unit, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65 (Viikinkaari 1), Helsinki FI-00014, Finland.
Kari Ahola: Tornihaukantie 8D 72
Teuvo Karstinen: Juusinkuja 1
Jari Valkama: Ringing Centre, Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, PO Box 17 (P. Rautatiekatu 13), Helsinki FI-00014, Finland.
Jon E. Brommer: Bird Ecology Unit, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65 (Viikinkaari 1), Helsinki FI-00014, Finland.

Nature Communications, 2011, vol. 2, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract To ensure long-term persistence, organisms must adapt to climate change, but an evolutionary response to a quantified selection pressure driven by climate change has not been empirically demonstrated in a wild population. Here, we show that pheomelanin-based plumage colouration in tawny owls is a highly heritable trait, consistent with a simple Mendelian pattern of brown (dark) dominance over grey (pale). We show that strong viability selection against the brown morph occurs, but only under snow-rich winters. As winter conditions became milder in the last decades, selection against the brown morph diminished. Concurrent with this reduced selection, the frequency of brown morphs increased rapidly in our study population during the last 28 years and nationwide during the last 48 years. Hence, we show the first evidence that recent climate change alters natural selection in a wild population leading to a microevolutionary response, which demonstrates the ability of wild populations to evolve in response to climate change.

Date: 2011
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1213

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