Jim Tibensky asked: >>>>Question: How does the mosquito evolve to have the behavior of avoiding a sound that precedes their death? <<<< I'll take a stab at it. The mosquito doesn't have to know or learn anything at all. If by some random chance mosquito F (for fittest) has developed a strange genetic quirk, say it (for some genetic reason) flies a little more erratically when it is in the presence of pressure changes that happen to be in roughly the frequency of a dragonfly's wing beats. Say other mosquitoes, with variations A to ZZZZZZZZ do not exhibit this behavior at all. As a result of the F-quirk it becomes a little harder for the dragonflies to catch Mosquito F (and half of her offspring too). Gradually that gene for erratic flight becomes more prevalent in the whole population of mosquitoes because more mosquitoes containing it have survived the dragonfly encounters they were subjected to than their neighbors did and lived on to successfully breed. Among those with the F gene, another beneficial random variation might arise (among a thousand harmful mutations) that gives that mosquito, and half its offspring, another slight advantage (possibly against dragonflies or other predators but it could be anything). Anything hereditary that is even a slight advantage will mean more and more of the total population will eventually be a relative of the mosquito that first had that advantage. Multiply this by thousands of minor advantages over millions of years and eventually almost all the mosquito heredity lines still reproducing will have those advantages. Think of evolution not so much as the survival of the fittest but rather as the trimming away of the ones not quit up to the challenges they faced. This trimming away is what decides what will be later labeled as the fittest. Everything alive is the offspring of the formerly "fittest". Nobody knows in advance what the future environment will determine will be the next "most fit" characteristics. The theory of evolution is really based on a tautology. "That which is here is what has survived this long". It can't help but be true. The plants, animals and even minerals that are still here, out of all of the possible variations that once were here or that possibly could have been here (but never were because the lines that would have lead to them died out or disappeared) are those that (for life) are in a continuous line of heredity that has survived since the beginning of the chain (possibly the first thing that could reproduce itself--but unlike minerals, not quite an always perfect reproduction--came into being on earth). (Of course, the first thousand times such a thing came in to being it might have not made it very far before dying out and it is actually the 1001st such thing that is actual the start of the present chains of life). Things that reproduce themselves but not quite perfectly can't help but evolve some differences over time. If they also can die the variations are kept in check and those forms that are most successful at exploiting some niche will soon predominate in it. It looks like all it takes to be alive is a system of not quite perfect reproduction and death. Bob's remark "This is NOT the case in one species I'm familiar with!" concerning the fittest being the ones that reproduce, puts the cart before the horse. You can't judge the fittest in advance and no matter how repellent it might seem to some, those who are reproducing the most are by definition the fittest, at least for that generation. A lot of the unfit, however, think that they and their kind must surely be the fittest in the land (and can probably point to all sorts of immaterial reasons why that is the case). Their parents were the fittest, but if they don't reproduce they will not have been the fittest, no matter what reasons they might bring up to argue otherwise. Matt Broze www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
<<<Bob's remark "This is NOT the case in one species I'm familiar with!" concerning the fittest being the ones that reproduce, puts the cart before the horse.>>> Actually, I was really thinking about the fact that our social system and science has allowed members of our species with unsuccessful mutations, to live long enough to reproduce and pass those mutations on to other generations. I am thinking of most genetic illnesses, and even poor eyesight. A predator with really bad eyesight is probably not going to live long enough to reproduce. This "anti evolutionary " behavior has been on-going since Neolithic times. Cu Bob Denton *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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