A species of bacteria can evolve at various speeds which depend on the environment it is in. If there are pressures that are influencing it, such as antibiotics, it can adapt to resist antibiotics over time.
If we’re talking humans and animals, yes in a way! In my field, we’re interested in something called ‘epigenetics’ which is the regulation of DNA activity. In other words, epigenetics controls what parts of DNA are switched ‘on’ or ‘off’ at any given time. It’s is mostly influenced by environmental and lifestyle factors.
A really cool example is identical twins – they share the exact same DNA, but if they live in different climates, eat different diets or do different forms of exercise, over time their characteristics will start to change and they won’t look so identical. So in that sense, epigenetics is a form of evolution within a single lifespan!
The majority of species can adapt to different environments in their lifetime but evolution takes a bit longer as the genetic adaptions and natural selection traits are passed down.
If a species has adapted successfully to their new environment then they are more likely to survive and breed young with those traits – Some species can adapt quicker and with a quicker breeding cycle their species can evolve alot quicker than others.
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