Hi LindaLou

I don’t know if anyone’s commented on your rate of evolution post a the top of this thread. You have hit on a very interesting point. Have you ever heard of a book called “The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time” by Jonathan Weiner. It explores some very detail study of evolution in real time in the wild on the island of Daphne Major in the Galapagos. Among other things an insipient speciation event was observed during a sever multi year drought on the island. It showed exactly what you are suggesting, that evolution actually moves quite quickly when conditions change and its normal slow pace is actually a reflection of the stability of the niches most organisms inhabit rather than an indication of a limit to evolution itself. The author suggested that Darwin would be most surprised to learn just how fast evolution can be when species are put under pressure by rapid changes in their environment.

Russell