Charles Darwin has been successful in the affirmation of evolution by
natural selection and in the more specific ideas that have been proved
correct. Recent research found that he might have been wrong about
invasive species, at least amphibians.
He believed that when an
invasive species entered a region where a close related species exists,
it would be unsuccessful because of competition for resources needed to
survive.
Reid Taylor from the University of Sydney in Australia said
that they found the pattern with amphibians to be the opposite. He said
that when frogs, toads, and salamanders invade an area in which similar
species live, they are more likely to establish themselves.
Past
studies have used plants, which have produced mixed results, but this is
the first study that contradicts Darwin’s invasive species hypothesis
with animals. An explanation for why the amphibians tend to thrive in
locations with related species is there is a natural suitability.
The
studied amphibians were primarily in North America, and Europe, but not
limited to species in Asia, Africa, and Australia. The study was done
with a large group of organisms and in wide areas around the world.
These findings may help conservationists to predict the risk of
introducing new species into new regions.
