Darwin has been proven correct once again! A large study of Mt. Chickadees has shown that local environmental conditions actually cause genetic variations – read here: inherited behavioral characteristics. This is true not only between species, but between populations of the same species. This study differentiates learned behavior that is simply passed on through generations and the ability to learn which is inherited giving individuals survival skills independently of elder interactions. This is the old battle between Darwin and Lamarck regarding why there are so many species of birds. It is the argument of evolution by Natural Selection or by inherited of acquired characteristics. Remember this: Darwin’s book was called Origin of Species; not Origin of THE species. It’s a book about mechanisms or processes.
“For many animal species, “intelligence” (however one might choose to measure it) is meaningless; in whatever habitat, whatever lifestyle they find themselves adapted for, it doesn’t help them survive and reproduce, and so it’s irrelevant. “As humans, we think smarter is always better,” says Branch, “but it’s not.”
The Pravosudov lab’s growing body of research on Mountain Chickadees is showing, however, that when it comes to surviving the harshest of winters, spatial memory—the ability to store and recover food—is the crucial factor that decides whether a chickadee lives to raise babies and pass on their genes or perishes in the snow.”
This is a long article and will require some energy spent with reflection, but it is worth it. Read this article from Cornell Lab’s “All About Birds” – read more.