Not-So-Scenic Creosote Bush (IMAGE)

University of Utah

Not-So-Scenic Creosote Bush

Caption

Creosote bushes like those shown here replaced juniper trees in what now is the Mojave Desert as climate warmed between 18,700 and 10,000 years ago. Woodrats in the Mojave had to switch from a juniper diet to a more toxic creosote diet. A study led by University of Utah biologist Denise Dearing has narrowed the hunt for detoxification genes that let the packrats eat creosote.

Credit

Denise Dearing, University of Utah

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