Humans as the World's Greatest Evolutionary Force

In addition to altering global ecology, technology and human population growth also affect evolutionary trajectories, dramatically accelerating evolutionary change in other species, especially in commercially important, pest, and disease organisms. Such changes are apparent in antibiotic and human i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2001-09, Vol.293 (5536), p.1786-1790
Main Author: Palumbi, Stephen R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Physiological - genetics
Adaptation, Physiological - physiology
Animal Husbandry
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Antibiotics
Antivirals
Applied ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Biological Evolution
Biotechnology - economics
Brackish
Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife
Disease resistance
Drug Resistance - genetics
Drug Resistance - physiology
Drug resistance in microorganisms
Drug Resistance, Microbial - genetics
Drug Resistance, Microbial - physiology
Ecology
Ecosystem
Environmental aspects
Evolution
Evolution (Biology)
Freshwater
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
Herbicide resistance
HIV
Hospitals
Human beings
Human immunodeficiency virus
Human-environment interactions
Humans
Infections
Influence on nature
Marine
Microbial drug resistance
Microbiology
Narcotics
Pesticide resistance
Pests
Population growth
Review
Selection, Genetic
Technology
Time Factors
USA
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Summary:In addition to altering global ecology, technology and human population growth also affect evolutionary trajectories, dramatically accelerating evolutionary change in other species, especially in commercially important, pest, and disease organisms. Such changes are apparent in antibiotic and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) resistance to drugs, plant and insect resistance to pesticides, rapid changes in invasive species, life-history change in commercial fisheries, and pest adaptation to biological engineering products. This accelerated evolution costs at least $33 billion to $50 billion a year in the United States. Slowing and controlling arms races in disease and pest management have been successful in diverse ecological and economic systems, illustrating how applied evolutionary principles can help reduce the impact of human-kind on evolution.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.293.5536.1786