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Re: flights of fancy (or "I'm brave, but I'm chicken****")
On Dec 1, 20:29, Rob Meyerson wrote:
} Subject: Re: flights of fancy (or "I'm brave, but I'm chicken****")
>
> Not completely true. We see over and over again that animals that are lower=
> on the food chain tend to produce a plethora of offspring. This is so some=
> of them will last long enough to reproduce (basically, the flood the=
> system). Invertebrates churn out vast quantities of planktonic larvae, as=
> do amphibians. This is actually a decent survival strategy: produce enough=
> young to satisfy the predators, then produce a bunch more to carry on the=
> species. Rather harsh, but it works.
>
>-- End of excerpt from Rob Meyerson
In the end, I don't understand how this strategy works, though.
I can understand lots of offspring to overcome "accidents" of various
types, but to "satisfy the predators"? I don't understand why the
predators don't breed proportionately.
Now, herding I can understand, and I can see where numbers might help:
the number of opportunities for a predator might not grow linearly
with the number of prey animals if they hang out in herds. But I
don't really see how you can ever "satisfy the predators", as you put
it, unless the predator population is limited in some way other than
food supplies.
--
Bob Myers InteleNet Communications, Inc.
Email: bob@InteleNet.net 30 Executive Park, Suite 150
Phone: 714/851-8250 Irvine, CA 92714
Fax: 714/851-1088 http://www.intelenet.net/