4 ms·
I'm not sure "restraint" is the correct word in the examples you cite. Individual size is typically the result of a combination of evolutionary selection pressu
by Angostura 8y ago
I'm not sure "restraint" is the correct word in the examples you cite. Individual size is typically the result of a combination of evolutionary selection pressure and physics. Colonies are constrained by resources which influence reproductive rates.
- pygy_ 8y agoEverything in biology is the result of a combination of evolutionary selection and physics, I don't understand where you're going with that. These are both instances of restraint hard-coded in DNA. Not growing/reproducing in some circumstances is part of the program. Contrast it with cancer, or breakthrough, overaggressive infectious agents that kill their host quickly (but gradually give way to milder versions of themselves). Some cancers grow so fast that part of the tumors die of necrosis (and off course most often the host ultimately dies).