Some species evolve “back” and seem to regress: the strange example of the Galápagos tomatoes

When you talk about evolution, you often imagine an organism that is perfected over time and gain in complexity. However. Consequently, this scheme is not systematic and some living beings sometimes seems to find characteristics of their ancestors, as reported by the American magazine Popular Mechanics. Nevertheless, An inverted evolution, identified for example in a variety of tomatoes, visibly a little nostalgic.

A recent study by researchers from the University of California in Riverside has looked into this phenomenon in tomato plants pushing on certain islands of the Galápagos archipelago. Furthermore, an Ecuador archipelago. Consequently, These plants have developed alkaloids – chemical compounds with bitter taste – a property owned by their ancestors millions of years ago. Consequently, which is still found today in related species such as eggplant.

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A vocabulary question – Some species evolve "back" seem

In nature. many organizations present this form of “reverse evolution”, that is to say that they reactivated old features present in their distant ancestors. For example. some fish living in caves end up losing sight, a state that recalls that of some of their predecessors devoid of eyes. But is this apparent regression really go back. or simply the logical consequence of the abandonment of functions that have become useless?

The question divides scientists. This return to an ancestral state is in any case not a simple coincidence: the researchers believe that this. phenomenon is linked to some species evolve “back” seem the particular conditions of the Western Islands of the Galápagos. Younger than the Oriental Islands of the archipelago. they are only a few hundred thousand years and are still in training. Their biodiversity is lower, their soils poorer, which would have favored the emergence of older survival strategies.

On this subject. Adam Jozwiak, principal author of the study, specifies in a press release: “It is possible that the ancestral molecule offers a better defense in the harsher western conditions. Some remain skeptical, but genetic and chemical evidence confirms this return to an ancestral state. The mechanism does exist. It happened. “

In the end, whether we speak of “reverse evolution” or not depends mainly on the terms chosen. Whether in the fish in the caves. the Galápagos tomatoes, the evolution continues its work: it adapts organisms to their environment. Most often. this results in progressive complexification, but it also happens that the some species evolve “back” seem best solution is to reconnect with an old winning strategy.