As far as evolution goes ‘bigger really is better’, says study
March 8th, 2011 - 6:41 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Mar 8 (ANI): A new study has claimed that as far as evolution goes, ‘bigger really is the better’.
Organisms with bigger bodies or faster growth rates tend to live longer, mate more and produce more offspring, whether they are deer or damselflies, the authors report.
Researchers working at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center compiled and reviewed nearly 150 published estimates of natural selection, representing more than 100 species of birds, lizards, snakes, insects and plants.
The result is puzzling, the researchers say.
“When we look at nature, we see all these amazing ways species are well-adapted to their lifestyles and habitats,” Joel Kingsolver of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said.
“Yet the organisms that are bigger, faster, still do the best in terms of survival and reproduction. Why aren’t they already just the right size or speed, or pretty close to it?” he asked.
The authors explored three possible explanations. One possibility, they explained, is that evolving to be bigger, faster, or flashier comes at a cost.
Another possibility is that environments simply change from one season to the next, such that the traits that confer the greatest advantage change over time.
A third possibility is that natural selection drives one trait in one direction, while simultaneously driving another, genetically correlated trait in the opposite direction.
The third explanation frequently limits the evolution of body size, the authors found, but not traits related to timing, or body shape, or coloration.
“Size is the one case where correlated selection is important,” Kingsolver said. (ANI)
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