How rabbits on an island changed

[ChinaBun]

There's a story about an example of microevolution occurring among rabbits on an island. I've googled to get more details and can't find it. All that I remember is that a farmer wanted to raise rabbits on an island off the coast of ??? (South Carolina, England, somewhere else?). He put the rabbits there, then for some reason had to return to the mainland and didn't return. Years later someone went to he island and the rabbits had changed. I think they started out as large white bunnies, and evolved into small brown bunnies as they adapted to a different environment over the years.

I sometimes talk informally to people here about evolution. I don't believe in macroevolution, but of course I believe in microevolution and give this as an example, since usually my listeners know that I like rabbits. I would like to read about this so that I can give more correct details. I did a google search using "rabbits, evolution, island" and didn't find the story. Does anyone have a link to the story, or can you give me more search words to use?

And no, I don't talk about this in class. Well, only once when a student asked what I thought about the origin of people. I said that in the US public schools we are taught the same thing that you are taught, but that doesn't reflect the beliefs of 100% of Americans.

However, this is not the place for an evolution debate! Let's talk about rabbits on an island!

Nancy

 

[pamnock]

The Enderby rabbits are an excellent example of an isolated population.
The population tends to develop (evolve)towards the animals that are the most hardy. In areas where food is in short supply, the smaller animals may survive and reproduce at a faster rate than the larger rabbits. The smaller, darker colored specimens are also more likely to be able to out-run predators. Survival of the fittest!

Pam

 

[myheart]

This is an interesting story...

I guess I would tend to say "genetic response to the environment" versus evolution per se. We are all continually changingin response toour environments, even if they are man-made. It is true that prey animals will change genetically over time to enable them to escape and multiply. Maybe people don't realize that the predator also goes through changes in response to the prey's changes. A big white rabbit will be easier to see versus a small brown bunny. The predator will also change to smell the rabbit out better, or become faster, or perhaps become smaller themselves through next generations. Such changes are mutually responsive to the others' genetic changes and becomes continual to build the "better" genetic code for what is going on.

I think that is why there is so much of an emphasis for conservationism and a cleaner environment. We are all a product of the environment, clean or not, and the circles of genetic responses expand to a global level at some point because we are all connected by oceans, winds, the atmosphere, and what is carried on/in them. Sand from a sand storm in Africa can be found on other continents, why not other pollutants?

I hope this doesn't sound preachy, it is information I picked up during a class in conservationism. Please don't take any of this the wrong way, but we are globally connected whether we like it or not, and we are all, through generations,genetically changing to adapt to environmental changes. This island and its inhabitants are an example of what nature does on it's own, although on a shorter time scale and with genetic isolation.

Thanks for bringing this great example to light,

MyHeart

 

[ChinaBun]

Thanks for the interesting answers!

I googled Enderby rabbits and read up on them. Maybe that's what I was thinking about.

 

[Leaf]

I'm going to look t up as well. How interesting!

 

[jcl_24]

The Schoma Island Rabbits maybe? I'll see if I can find a link for info.

EDIT: Correct spelling is SKOMER Island. I don't think the rabbits evolved as a spieces there, but certainly have made the island their home.

Jo x