In time, many creatures will be able to adapt to pollution. That will take many years though, and it might be too late for many by then. Some do adapt fairly quickly, as is the case of a small fish adapting very well to pollution.
Pollution has made the environment unhealthy for many creatures. This is very true for marine life, which is very vulnerable to pollution. Eventually a number of marine creatures will adapt, but that will take a long time. The Atlantic killifish though is an exception to this, having adapted quickly to the toxic environment.
The study made by the University of California Davis has found that the Atlantic killifish can be very resilient. It is said to be 8,000 times more resistant to pollution than other fishes. Research has found that the killifish has much genetic variation, much more so than even humans. This has made the Atlantic killifish very adaptable to its environment.
While the Atlantic killifish can adapt well, lead author and associate professor in the Department of Environmental Toxicology at the University of California Davis Andrew Whitehead said that most species can't adapt to such rapid environmental changes. Many species don't have that many genetic variations to make them adaptable to the environment. This makes many species vulnerable to changes in the environment.
The researchers discovered the genetic variations of the killifish by sequencing the genomes of killifish found in polluted and non-polluted areas, according to the UC Davis site. The polluted sites have been so since 1950s and 1960s. The areas have been polluted by various heavy metals, dioxins and chemicals.
The study has shown that the killifish already has the genes necessary to live in polluted environment even before the areas were polluted, as Science Daily reports. The study could also lead to looking at other creatures and finding out what genes could enable them to survive a polluted environment. Whitehead has said that knowing which of those genes can enable to survive a toxic environment might help humans as well later on.
Animals will be able to adapt to a polluted environment, but it will take many years. Some do adapt much more rapidly, like the small fish adapting very well to pollution. Fish has shown early on how adaptable they are, such as the case of ancient fish showing the adaptation of the tail.
