Big Picture: Keeping Up with Warmer Weather

 

When winter looms some mammals experience a transition from their brown summer coats to whiter fur to blend easily with the expected snowcover.  What happens when climate change causes weather to warm earlier than expected and the snow to which they've adapted disappears? These animals will lose their camouflage which protects them from predators. A recent study on white-tailed jack rabbits suggests that diversity among the three genes responsible for coat color change within different populations may allow rapid adaptation.  As Ferreira et al note, these species are "predicted to adapt rapidly, providing a trait-based genetic framework to facilitate evolutionary rescue." While this is good news for the jack rabbits, how adaptive are other species who rely upon camouflaged fur for their survival?  Take a look at this gallery of animals in their dramatic summer and winter coats.

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