More on evolution
Ok, enough of the job stuff, what will happen will happen. So today I'm going back to one of my pet muses; evolution.
Today's question is did Darwin get in wrong? Well, I agree with the natural selection bit, but survival of the fittest is one that I have to say no to.
Why? Well, it seems to me that this struggles to explain biodiversity. If its the fittest that survive, then all environments should tend toward a mono-culture in a given niche, but this simply isn't the case in many parts of the world. I look out of my window and see lots of different plants, all different. True some have been planted by me, but many have self seeded (aka weeds), but everything is experiencing the same environmental pressures. So why the diversity? My answer is simple, its not survival of the fittest that's the driver, but instead its death of the weakest. This means that any thing in a given niche will survive and diversify if it isn't killed off by whatever and it can reproduce. The key is “killed off by whatever”. If an organism can survive long enough to reproduce, then its genes will go on, irrespective of whether it is the fittest for a given environment.
In benign environments, for instance where the weather is good, biodiversity is high. Lots of “non-fittest” individuals can survive and reproduce. Its only in the harsh environments where all but the strongest die, that we see typical Darwinian Evolution.
(Apologies to mister Darwin if I've misunderstood his ideas, I've not seen a copy of the origin of species, but if I do get one, then rest assured, I will read it).
Today's question is did Darwin get in wrong? Well, I agree with the natural selection bit, but survival of the fittest is one that I have to say no to.
Why? Well, it seems to me that this struggles to explain biodiversity. If its the fittest that survive, then all environments should tend toward a mono-culture in a given niche, but this simply isn't the case in many parts of the world. I look out of my window and see lots of different plants, all different. True some have been planted by me, but many have self seeded (aka weeds), but everything is experiencing the same environmental pressures. So why the diversity? My answer is simple, its not survival of the fittest that's the driver, but instead its death of the weakest. This means that any thing in a given niche will survive and diversify if it isn't killed off by whatever and it can reproduce. The key is “killed off by whatever”. If an organism can survive long enough to reproduce, then its genes will go on, irrespective of whether it is the fittest for a given environment.
In benign environments, for instance where the weather is good, biodiversity is high. Lots of “non-fittest” individuals can survive and reproduce. Its only in the harsh environments where all but the strongest die, that we see typical Darwinian Evolution.
(Apologies to mister Darwin if I've misunderstood his ideas, I've not seen a copy of the origin of species, but if I do get one, then rest assured, I will read it).
posted by Snow Jester at 8:53 pm
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