Resistance to Insecticides and Herbicides as Evolution
Still other species have adapted via selection to human-caused changes in their environment. Insects have become resistant to DDT and other pesticides, plants have adapted to herbicides, and fungi, worms, and algae have evolved resistance to heavy metals that have polluted their environment. There almost always seem to be a few individuals with lucky mutations that allow them to survive and reproduce, quickly evolving a sensitive population into a resistant one. We can then make a reasonable inference: when a population encounters a stress that doesn’t come from humans, such as a change in salinity, temperature, or rainfall, natural selection will often produce an adaptive response.
Jerry A. Coyne, Why Evolution Is True (January 22, 2009)
Notes
If plants and insects can evolve resistance to these human-induced selective pressures, then we may assume they evolve to other natural environmental pressures as well.
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human-induced selective pressures, natural environmental pressures, lucky mutations, human-caused changes, sensitive population, reasonable inference, heavy metals, adaptive response, resistance, natural selection, herbicides, insects
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plants, DDT, Insecticides, salinity, rainfall, pesticides, worms, fungi, Evolution, species, humans, temperature, environment.