gwaydms t1_j8c5ow1 wrote on February 13, 2023 at 5:13 AM

Reply to comment by LordCaptain in TIL the closest whale relative that is not a marine mammal is the hippopotamus after the species diverged 54 million years ago. by SuperMcG

>Frog species around chernobyl have turned pitch black in an adaptation to protect from radiation evolving pigmentation and protection.

This is natural selection rather than evolution, although it certainly does play a part in evolution. It might be a fine point, but it's an important one.

Larkson9999 t1_j8co2x0 wrote on February 13, 2023 at 9:06 AM

Natural selection is evolution though. Helpful adaptations over millions of years causes different species.

gwaydms t1_j8dwa0f wrote on February 13, 2023 at 4:19 PM

It's one mechanism of evolution. If the situation to which the organism is adapting is temporary, natural selection will favor those that survive and reproduce best under those conditions that existed before.

Larkson9999 t1_j8dwlvv wrote on February 13, 2023 at 4:21 PM

That's still natural selection.

https://www.britannica.com/science/natural-selection

LordCaptain t1_j8e4e5u wrote on February 13, 2023 at 5:16 PM

It is evolution through natural selection but it is still most definitely evolution. It's a net directional change in the population. There isn't an arbitrary point where it turns from natural selection to evolution as the two aren't so simply separated.

gwaydms t1_j8emi2r wrote on February 13, 2023 at 7:16 PM

I didn't say they should be. I said natural selection is part of evolution, as are phenomena such as founder effect.