Adaptation: looking for clues in the fossil record

摘要

One of the strongest proponents of managed relocation is palaeontologist Professor Mike Archer of the University of NSW. His campaign to re-establish mountain pygmy possums at lower altitudes is based on fossil evidence showing the species inhabited a much wider range over its 24 million year history, 'dwelling happily in lowland rainforests with rocky floors,' according to Prof Archer. He says if today's populations are occupying the extremity of a broader natural range, the species might have the physiological capacity to survive in lowland habitats, which will provide more food options as habitats change under global warming.