![]() The wasps would lose their source of nourishment. Fig wasps could lay more eggs, but then the fig trees would lose too many resources nourishing the extra wasps, and die. The young wasps then take nourishment from the figs as they grow, while at the same time transferring pollen between fig trees, facilitating tree reproduction. Pregnant fig wasps, for example, lay their eggs in figs. Essentially, if we logically work through the potential outcomes of “selfish” behaviors between species, it turns out that, in these instances, genes that are able to create cooperating organisms are most likely to survive. A parent’s child contains copies of the parent’s genes, while other children in the species do not, so parents focus on the survival of their own offspring.ĭawkins also argues that cooperation between species only exists when it results in an “ evolutionarily stable strategy” (or “ESS”), meaning it enables the gene’s survival in the long run. From the genetic perspective, however, this behavior makes perfect sense. Technically, if the thing that matters is the survival of the group, there is no evolutionary reason for a parent to favor its own chicks over others in the species. Birds, for example, expose themselves to predators to gather food for chicks, but they usually only feed the chicks in their own nests. Dawkins argues that “groups” cannot be the units that evolve, because animals tend to favor their own kin (who are their genetic relatives) over others in the group (who are not). They assumed that the “unit” that evolves wasn’t the individual animal, but the species as a whole. Historically, biologists assumed that some organisms act selflessly in order to ensure the species as a whole survives. In fact, Dawkins argues that cooperative behaviors always ensure the genes’ survival, and that genes are fundamentally “selfish” and altruism in nature is an illusion. Dawkins argues, however, that when these behaviors are looked at from a genetic perspective, they only appear to be altruistic, and that cooperation only occurs when there is an evolutionary advantage to cooperating. There is also apparent evidence of cooperation in nature, both between species and between genes. ![]() ![]() ![]() One of Dawkins’ central motivations in The Selfish Gene is “to understand the biology of selfishness and altruism.” Some animals sacrifice themselves so that other animals in their species can survive. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |