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The stark, white dunes of White Sands, N.M., are an ideal environment to observe evolution in action. These dunes are geologically very young--only a few thousand years old--and in that time, a number of animals have adapted to this new environment. Natural selection has favored lighter colored animals on the dunes for camouflage against the white sand and avoidance of predators.
Species of mammal, reptile and insect have rapidly developed adaptations to this unusual environment. Researchers from the lab of Erica Bree Rosenblum, an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management at the University of California, Berkeley, are studying adaptation and speciation at White Sands, and are working to understand how natural selection can lead to rapid evolutionary change. Rosenblum has identified the specific mutations that turn White Sands' lizards white. Her team has also conducted experiments to see whether White Sands' lizards are becoming new species. For example, earless lizards will preferentially choose other White Sands' lizards as mates. Therefore, researchers can study both adaptation and speciation at White Sands.Image credit: Erica Bree Rosenblum, University of Idaho
