dangin

The WNV has made it to Kansas (Yes I know it is everywhere) But it is hitting our falcoms and redtailed hawks pretty hard. The Jayhawk, our state mascot and the representative of the good college here, is half Red Tailed Hawk, half Blue Jay. Hence KUs red and blue colors and the creation of the mythical bird.

Having been born and raised in Kansas, with a decade long haiatus in Illinois, Red Tails are about my favorite bird species, and it bums me out to see them dying.

But, isn't this simply another evolutionary challenge? The species may live and evolve with a resistance to the virus. Won't this yet again be proof of evolution? If the red tails die out, they failed an evolutionary challenge, if they adapt, they won it. Either way it represents a change to the gene pool, and another example of red queen evolution mechanisms at work.

Maybe not, bit it seems to make perfect sense to me, even when I am emotionally attached to one of the species battling it out.

Quetzal

I dunno, dangin. I'm not sure that you can reasonably consider this a strictly evolutionary challenge, like a virus that was already present mutating into some new virulent form, or a parasite evolving to attack a new host as part of a "normal" evolutionary arms race. This is more like introduction of a non-native species. The locals have NO defense, because the invasive species didn't evolve/coevolve in the same environment. Most of the time when an invasive gets established, it spells doom for the local population. Examples include zebra mussels in the Great Lakes (29 of 76 native species extinct), "africanized" bees in Brazil (80% of native hives effected), Nile perch in Lake Victoria (100+ of 200+ native cichlid species extinct) etc.

dangin

Right, but the bird species that have some portion of their population resistant to this virus will undergo a major genetic shift now if only or even mostly that portion are surviving to breed.

It's absolutely an introduced hazard, but it is still causing an evolutionary reaction unless all the species affected die. Then it changed the genetic make up anyway, because those specie's genes are now gone.

Quetzal

I don't disagree with you. I think I was (over)reacting to the bit about "isn't this simply another evolutionary challenge". It is, obviously, by definition an evolutionary challenge that one way or another will impact the effected population. I hope that there are enough resistant survivors to maintain a breeding population. You may find yourself knee-deep in rodents otherwise.

dangin

Where's the west nile virus that kills mosquitos instead of birds. Hello, genetic engineers. . .?