Robert Clarkさんのインスタグラム写真 - (Robert ClarkInstagram)「I was able to photograph some of the finches that Charles Darwin collected in the Galapagos as aprt of a story about trying to "See like Darwin". But I just ran across this interesting an disturbing article. Darwin’s Finches Are In Danger Because a Parasite Is Changing Their Mating Song By deforming their beaks, an introduced parasite is causing two finch species to hybridize, changing the course of their evolution. Parasites usually impact individual health—they suck your blood or take your food. Sometimes, the really bad ones kill you. In a little island in the Galapagos, a parasite is doing even more: it’s changing evolution. According to a new study from researchers at Flinders University in Australia, a parasite is attacking the beaks of two finches—the small tree finch ( C. parvulus) and the critically endangered medium tree finch ( C. pauper). Darwin made these finches famous on his voyage to the Galapagos, as they helped him come up with his theory of evolution. Now, a parasitic larvae is making them evolve in new ways. It’s changing their mating song, confusing female finches so much that they sometimes mate with the wrong species of finch. A new species is being created: a hybrid of those two birds. The larvae of Philornis downsi, a tiny fly introduced to the Galapagos in the 1960s. The fly larvae hides inside the beaks of the finches, eating the blood and tissue from the inside out. These flies can completely change the beak shape, nearly doubling nostril size. In severe cases, the beak will end up open on both sides, meaning its whole nasal cavity is missing. The finches sing to attract mates, and any change to their beaks has serious implications for their songs. In their paper, which was published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, scientists said that birds with beaks deformed by parasites have more deviation in their songs. Normally, these two finches have totally unique calls, which helps to announce their eligibility to potential mates. When these males change their songs, it confuses females. @NatGeo #NatGeo #CharlesDarwin #Evolution #EvolutionaryBiology」6月15日 4時58分