Evolution is quicker than they thought

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

Individuals mutate, species evolve, which is why I put "mutate" in quotes. For a species to evolve in response to a situation, it has to have individuals with beneficial mutations. The mutations aren't in response to the situation, but the evolution is.

How do they know what causes the mutations? How do they know they are not in response to some outside threat?

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

How do they know what causes the mutations? How do they know they are not in response to some outside threat?

If you find evidence of a creature modifying its DNA in response to a threat, that would be interesting.



I'm not saying it's impossible, but it certainly isn't common...

[xoxoxoBruce]

I would be able to find one because I don't know jack shit about this stuff. I just wonder how they determine what causes mutations.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

If you find evidence of a creature modifying its DNA in response to a threat, that would be interesting.

I'm not saying it's impossible, but it certainly isn't common...

This chart in Clodfobble's link on speciation could certainly be called modification in response to a threat, specifically the loss of their normal food supply.

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

This chart in Clodfobble's link on speciation could certainly be called modification in response to a threat, specifically the loss of their normal food supply.

Right, the species was modified in response to the threat, when the individual bugs who by random chance best handled the new food bred more. The individual flies didn't modify their genes to metabolize the new food better.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

Right, the species was modified in response to the threat, when the individual bugs who by random chance best handled the new food bred more. The individual flies didn't modify their genes to metabolize the new food better.

OK, I follow you. But the groups did change and diverge in response to outside stimuli. There must be an awful lot of fruit flies out there that can't get laid.... they're lucky then don't live long.

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

OK, I follow you. But the groups did change and diverge in response to outside stimuli.

Right, that's the distinction I was trying to make. Groups evolve in reaction to outside stimuli, and individuals mutate with no particular direction.

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

Right, that's the distinction I was trying to make. Groups evolve in reaction to outside stimuli, and individuals mutate with no particular direction.

Exactly, but individual mutation, if advantageous, ends-up in the whole population through time.
Both are mutations, just different forms and expressions, and both are evolution.
If it changes the genome, it is mutation, if it is adopted by the whole, or a portion which becomes a separate whole, it is evolution.