I received a message from a reader with a suggestion for a topic in this series, which I could swear I've covered... Looking back, it ain't there, or maybe it's hidden in one of the other posts I put up (there are over 80 now). So, I figure that if it isn't in this series (though a little off topic), maybe there are others looking for this kind of information.
The question was about applying the real world biological principles of evolution to creature development, including the spreading branches of the evolutionary tree, reasonable timeframes, as well as potential social impacts resultant. Damn, that's a big topic, but I'll do my best.
First of all, it's important to define certain terms.
Species - Biology . the major subdivision of a genus or subgenus, regarded as the basic category of biological classification, composed of related individuals that resemble one another, are able to breed among themselves, but are not able to breed with members of another species.
Alright, this is a close to accurate definition, but requires the caveat that the offspring produced are viable (in other words, the little ones ain't sterile). Consequently, all breeds of dog are one species, but donkeys and horses are different species, even though they can interbreed to produce mules (which can't reproduce). This does go back to some earlier post about "races" in genre writing.
Evolution - Biology . change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by such processes as mutation, natural selection,and genetic drift.
The most common misconception about evolution sounds like a semantic argument to some people, but is essential to understanding how it functions. It is not uncommon to hear a statement like, "the giraffe evolved a long neck to reach leaves high on trees." My paleontology professor called these "Just So Stories," after Mister Kipling's famous tales. The better way to say it is, "the giraffes who had long necks, could reach the leaves high on the tree and survive to pass on the trait."
The essential element which drives evolution is environmental pressure (or lack thereof). Your environment consists of everything around you, so this could refer to a change in temperature, rainfall, food supply, predation, and so on. Remember that both more food and less food impact species. When competition for resources is minimal, nature can come up with some really interesting, though not necessarily efficient, designs. See Stephen Jay Gould's book, Wonderful Life, on the Burgess Shale. When competition for resources is high, species tend to specialize and dominate a specific niche in the landscape (sometimes literally, with specific birds occupying selected heights in a tree).
It is difficult to say at what point a species differentiates itself from its elder counterpart. Some view evolution as a long term gradual change. Gould coined the term "punctuated equilibrium" to describe long periods of stasis, followed by rapid evolutionary change, then a return to stasis. There is plenty of debate on how it works. The difficulty lies in the fact that we are reading from a book that has been caught in a rainstorm. The pages stick together and fall apart in our hands. The science of Paleontology is a study of statistics, but our data is terribly flawed. The processes we are describing take place over large gulf of time and begin with an individual specimen. Good luck finding that one and its offspring.
So, how does this all apply to creating creatures and their cultures? I. Guess you'll have to come back next time and find out. Mwahahahah.
Environmental Niche - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_niche
Dictionary.com - http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Species?s=t
Just So Stories - http://www.boop.org/jan/justso/
No comments:
Post a Comment