The Environment - part 1
Let's continue rephrasing "survival of the fittest" into something which gives a more accurate depiction of how evolution works. If we say "survival of the most suitable in a given environment", we have added two imortant aspects. The first "most suitable", which doesn't neccesarily mean the strongest, we have already looked at but the second "a given environment" needs a few words.
It is the environment which shapes all species and is not a simple static thing. The environment is everything in the nearby vicinity, which is comprised of a huge number of important factors: weather, plants, animals, geological features. Each one of these factors has many important facets. Weather is important, but so is how it changes. Temperature extremes thoughout the year, length and frequency of droughts, average rainfall/snowfall, etc. Vegetation is important not only as food for herbivores, but also as cover, camouflage, shelter, soil strengthening, and many more. Other animals not only include predators and prey, but also parasites, hosts, viruses, and members of the same species: mates to attract and rivals to outdo. Geological features include the general terrain, caves to live in, rivers to drink from, soft sand to lay eggs in, etc, etc. All these factors influence the direction of a species' evolution.
In addition, these factors are all changing. Weather and geological features are in constant flux, ice-ages come and go, rivers widen or dry up, land masses split and collide, volcanoes severely alter the environment. Plants and animals in the environment are also constantly evolving down their own paths, trying to exploit niches and move into new areas. This means that all species must continue to evolve, lest they be ousted by fitter species or succumb to the cruelty of the elements. Evolving alongside other species is called "co-evolution" as will be discussed in detail later.
By definition, all species are well-adapted to their environment, otherwise they simply wouldn't be around. Having said that, since environments are always changing, many species are in danger of becoming extinct, unless they can adapt quick enough or move to new areas. Many examples comes from the spread of humans. As fields and forests continue to transform into suburbs and industrial areas, many species die of while others thrive. Cockroaches, rats, crows and other scavengers seem to do well in wasteful human societies. Many others, however are unable to adapt to new environments and food sources and will inevitably die off.
When it comes to designing aliens, some thought about environment is essential. A fantastic example comes from my all-time favourite book, which I HIGHLY reccommend by the way: Expedition, by Wayne Douglas Barlowe. The creatures he depicts in the book have all evolved without eyes, rather using bat-like echo-location instead. This is on a planet with dim, but steady light. Using sound has many disadvantages over sight: it is active (meaning you must make noise betraying your presence), it has limited range and it is slower. The reason these animals do not have eyes is that in the early days of evolution on the planet the atmosphere was much different, with the entire planet cloaked in perpetual fog and the evolved solution became entrenched in the development of the species. It is this attention to detail and thoughtful explanation of the facts which I love.
In conclusion, in order to understand a species fully, one must look at the complex environment in which it is evolving, AND in which it has evolved. Not doing so will lead to creatures with no credibility, which will seem completely out of place.
It is the environment which shapes all species and is not a simple static thing. The environment is everything in the nearby vicinity, which is comprised of a huge number of important factors: weather, plants, animals, geological features. Each one of these factors has many important facets. Weather is important, but so is how it changes. Temperature extremes thoughout the year, length and frequency of droughts, average rainfall/snowfall, etc. Vegetation is important not only as food for herbivores, but also as cover, camouflage, shelter, soil strengthening, and many more. Other animals not only include predators and prey, but also parasites, hosts, viruses, and members of the same species: mates to attract and rivals to outdo. Geological features include the general terrain, caves to live in, rivers to drink from, soft sand to lay eggs in, etc, etc. All these factors influence the direction of a species' evolution.
In addition, these factors are all changing. Weather and geological features are in constant flux, ice-ages come and go, rivers widen or dry up, land masses split and collide, volcanoes severely alter the environment. Plants and animals in the environment are also constantly evolving down their own paths, trying to exploit niches and move into new areas. This means that all species must continue to evolve, lest they be ousted by fitter species or succumb to the cruelty of the elements. Evolving alongside other species is called "co-evolution" as will be discussed in detail later.
By definition, all species are well-adapted to their environment, otherwise they simply wouldn't be around. Having said that, since environments are always changing, many species are in danger of becoming extinct, unless they can adapt quick enough or move to new areas. Many examples comes from the spread of humans. As fields and forests continue to transform into suburbs and industrial areas, many species die of while others thrive. Cockroaches, rats, crows and other scavengers seem to do well in wasteful human societies. Many others, however are unable to adapt to new environments and food sources and will inevitably die off.
When it comes to designing aliens, some thought about environment is essential. A fantastic example comes from my all-time favourite book, which I HIGHLY reccommend by the way: Expedition, by Wayne Douglas Barlowe. The creatures he depicts in the book have all evolved without eyes, rather using bat-like echo-location instead. This is on a planet with dim, but steady light. Using sound has many disadvantages over sight: it is active (meaning you must make noise betraying your presence), it has limited range and it is slower. The reason these animals do not have eyes is that in the early days of evolution on the planet the atmosphere was much different, with the entire planet cloaked in perpetual fog and the evolved solution became entrenched in the development of the species. It is this attention to detail and thoughtful explanation of the facts which I love.
In conclusion, in order to understand a species fully, one must look at the complex environment in which it is evolving, AND in which it has evolved. Not doing so will lead to creatures with no credibility, which will seem completely out of place.
posted by Daley Paley at 10:54 PM
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