Xref: utzoo sci.bio:1995 talk.origins:4929
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From: mkkuhner@codon1.berkeley.edu (Mary K. Kuhner;335 Mulford)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,talk.origins
Subject: Re: The birds and the beaks
Keywords: evolution, birds, beaks
Message-ID: <23039@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 13 Apr 89 17:47:06 GMT
Sender: usenet@agate.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: mkkuhner@codon1.berkeley.edu.UUCP (Mary K. Kuhner)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
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In article <273@acates.UUCP> dan@acates.UUCP (Dan Ford) writes:
[Discussing albino cave animals]
>Odd theory, which I call evolutionaly entropy:  complex structures must be
>selected for in order to continue, or they suffer from random mutation
>and are degraded, possibly disappearing from the gene pool.  This is not
>to say that such things are selected against, but just that lack of selection
>FOR them is enough to have the trait leave. Complexity is good only if it
>solves a problem and improves survivability, otherwise "keep-it-simple-stupid"
>(KISS). In this case, get rid of color since it isn't useful.

>Dan Ford      uunet!acates!dan

Alternatively, there may be an actual cost to the animal of synthesizing
melanin and other pigments, which could have a mild selective importance--
perhaps a pigment-producing animal must devote slightly more of its
food intake to biosynthesis and has less to devote to reproduction.
Maybe this could be settled with studies of comparative energetics,
but it would be tough.

Mary Kuhner
mkkuhner@enzyme.berkeley.edu