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Evolution isn't "interested" in any outcome. There's no need to anthropomorphize it. There doesn't need to exist some conspiracy in a species to explain death.
by knome 9y ago
Evolution isn't "interested" in any outcome. There's no need to anthropomorphize it.
There doesn't need to exist some conspiracy in a species to explain death.
The new compete with the old for resources, mates and avoiding predators ( don't need to be faster than a bear, just faster than your friends ). The old have a lifetime of cellular damage, injuries, diseases etc having done damage to their bodies. These things make them more susceptible to predators and dying, being unable to mate do to body problems, being unable to compete for mates and being unable to compete for resources and dying.
Evolution can only select for that which leads to reproduction and survival of progeny. Whatever happens to an animals body after it passes on genetic material is of no matter to the new animal, excepting where interactions with the existing creature can be of benefit and detriment to the young. A mother crocodile protecting her young will have more surviving young than one that eats them, and the former will tend to out-compete the latter and continue existing.
Assuming a long-lived effectively-immortal species that only reproduces when resources are available for doing so exists, what would happen if a single gene for fast reproduction arose? Resources would run out, and animals would have to start competing with one another over them. Assuming the old and the young are both 50/50 for living or dying in any given fight, the creatures that reproduce slower would be at a disadvantage because there would always be more and more of the fast reproducers.
The only stay for the fast reproducers would be whether they can keep their young alive. So perhaps if they have young one or two at a time instead of twelve at a time, their one or two might be more likely to survive to adulthood whereas the twelve would tend to die well before then.
In the end a balance would emerge where members of the species would tend to reproduce as much as possible where they expect to be able to properly nuture the offspring. Those reproducing slower would fail to compete for resources. Those reproducing faster would fail to keep their offspring alive.
But certainly, those that are steadfastly not reproducing for "the good of the species"? These would be out-competed in short order by the rest.