Ditto for the ecologists who are modeling how climate changes are likely to affect many species, Skelly said.
To date, most ecological models assume little or no ability for species to rapidly adapt to a new environment, he said.
A more dynamic model would allow for more flexibility, which apparently exists in some species with quick lifecycles — which means more opportunities for natural selection to breed a species better adapted to a changing world.
As if to underline the importance of the new study, frog watchers in Australia last week announced the capture of a record-breaking cane toad. The mammoth toad measured nearly eight inches (20.5 cm) long and weighed in at almost two pounds (861 grams).
"The biggest toads are usually females but this one was a rampant male," reported Graeme Sawyer, coordinator of a group called FrogWatch. "He is huge, I would hate to meet his big sister."
The giant was caught in Lee Point, in Australia's Northern Territory. It was nearly double the weight of the last record toad caught there recently, which was a female.
Cane toads were deliberately imported to Australia in 1935 with hopes they would control scarab beetle infestations in sugar cane fields. Unfortunately, the toads did not eat the beetles, but began an invasion that is detrimental to native wildlife and continues today.
