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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Humans aren't just causing species to become extinct. We are also inadvertently creating new species [macroecology.ku.dk] by changing environments, building novel ecosystems, and rapidly transporting organisms all over the globe:

A growing number of examples show that humans not only contribute to the extinction of species but also drive evolution, and in some cases the emergence of entirely new species. This can take place through mechanisms such as accidental introductions, domestication of animals and crops, unnatural selection due to hunting, or the emergence of novel ecosystems such as the urban environment.

[...] "The prospect of 'artificially' gaining novel species through human activities is unlikely to elicit the feeling that it can offset losses of 'natural' species. Indeed, many people might find the prospect of an artificially biodiverse world just as daunting as an artificially impoverished one" says lead author and Postdoc Joseph Bull from the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate at the University of Copenhagen [macroecology.ku.dk].

The study which was carried out in collaboration with the University of Queensland was published today in Proceedings of Royal Society B [royalsocietypublishing.org] [DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0600]. It highlights numerous examples of how human activities influence species' evolution. For instance: as the common house mosquito adapted to the environment of the underground railway system in London, it established a subterranean population. Now named the 'London Underground mosquito', it can no longer interbreed with its above ground counterpart and is effectively thought to be a new species.

Original Submission