‘A lot of evolution’ The most noticeable changes in plants and animals have to do with earlier springs, Parmesan said. The best example can be seen in earlier cherry blossoms and grape harvests and in 65 British bird species that in general are laying their first eggs nearly nine days earlier than 35 years ago.
Parmesan said she worries most about the cold-adapted species, such as emperor penguins that have dropped from 300 breeding pairs to just nine in the western Antarctic Peninsula, or polar bears, which are dropping in numbers and weight in the Arctic. The cold-dependent species on mountaintops have nowhere to go, which is why two-thirds of a certain grouping of frog species have already gone extinct, Parmesan said.
Populations of animals that adapt better to warmth or can move and live farther north are adapting better than other populations in the same species, Parmesan said.
“We are seeing a lot of evolution now,” Parmesan said. However, no new gene mutations have shown themselves, not surprising because that could take millions of years, she said.
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