Longstanding Theory Of Origin Of Species In Oceans Challenged
Wednesday, December 31, 2008 - 18:21
in Biology & Nature
New evidence uncovered by oceanographers challenges one of the most long-standing theories about how species evolve in the oceans. Researchers propose that it was the climate, and its role in determining the availability of favorable oceanic habitat, that restricted the distribution of the species they studied rather than the presence of physical ocean barriers. In this new view, plankton are freely dispersed throughout the ocean but local conditions determine whether or not the species can 'take hold' and thrive.