3 ms·
But is there an evolutionary pressure in this direction because of the decrease in need? That would be Lamarckian then. I wonder if certain traits need evolutio
by abyssin 2y ago
But is there an evolutionary pressure in this direction because of the decrease in need? That would be Lamarckian then. I wonder if certain traits need evolutionary pressure to stay stable, and otherwise degenerate in some specific direction.
- jkrems 2y agoMany (most?) traits require energy to develop and maintain. A stronger muscle will need more energy so there's always pressure to reduce it. That pressure may just be countered by pressures in other directions.
- Y_Y 2y agoSomething something opportunity cost? If you can allocate your next bit of energy and protein to something with better bag-for-buck than a jaw muscle then that should be an evolutionary advantage.
- actionfromafar 2y agoWhat is better bang for buck? Pretty small buck too.
- Y_Y 2y agoMore expected (over ensemble of specimens) evolutionary "fitness" per unit of whatever you need to expend to make a jaw muscle a bit stronger. The buck is small because we're doing optimization calculus.