environment--->changes within a species??

[ktl_edwards]

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hey guys,

thanks for all that information however i managed to finish the question! And i think i did pretty well! yay!

Thanks again,

Kimi

[sweet_groovi]

i just completed an assessment task that required me to write about a particular species' physical & chemical adaptations and in turn, how this had impacted upon the availability of resources.
if you were to look into the kangaroo for example, it was classed as a megafauna previously and now, have adapted to suit the australian climate. over time, australia has become drier, causing land to alter from a rainforest-like area to grasslands and woodlands, this altered the kangaroos diet, so in turn, their size decreased, along with the shape and size of their teeth. due to the alteration in diet and relative size, the kangaroo now has a longer tail and strong hind limbs to enable it to escape predators quickly.

hope that makes things a little easier.
i'm sure you'll be able to work out a few other things from the above lead..
meaghan.

[christoffpow]

Kangaroos

Physical conditions:
Lets say.. climate. Increased climate over the past 200 million years has seen increases in vast, dry areas = this has led to the bipedal hopping of kangaroos to cover more ground efficiently and with minimal energy. Teeth for grinding grass has also evolved in kangaroos, due to grass being the dominant vegetation - because of increased temperature/climate.

Chemical conditions:
Not sure here.. you could say something like, the increased oxygen levels has allowed for aerobic respiration of kangaroos and therefore contributing to their survival. Increased oxygen has also contributed to the formation of the ozone layer.. which reduces intensities of light hitting the surface allowing for kangaroos to grow in its current form

Competition for resources:
Introduction of dingoes to Australia has increased competition for food for the kangaroo and many other wildlife (tasmanian tigers), which could possibly lead to the kangaroo's endangerment.

Not necessarily dingoes as they don't eat anywhere near kangaroo's food.. but you get the picture.

No offense to your school but that assignment is ridiculous. It's virtually impossible to find a species, let alone one of Australian origin, to have evolutionised because of all 3 of the impacts of evolution. Usually its just one impact that causes evolution of a species.. After all evolution is a process that occurs characteristic by characteristic.. i believe.

[Kwayera]

Originally Posted by christoffpow

Competition for resources:
Introduction of dingoes to Australia has increased competition for food for the kangaroo and many other wildlife (tasmanian tigers), which could possibly lead to the kangaroo's endangerment.

Not necessarily dingoes as they don't eat anywhere near kangaroo's food.. but you get the picture.

Incorrect. Dingoes are actually the main predator of kangaroos, and an important trophic regulator. Where there are no or few dingoes (aka behind the dingo fence), the population of kangaroos explodes, such that they become an agricultural pest. A better example here is how the introduction of the dingo ~4,000 years ago influenced the Australian ecosystem and its predator-prey relationships (given that the dingo is really Australia's only large land predator).

And don't ever refer to the thylacine as a "Tasmanian tiger". Biologists will laugh at you.