Analysis: Not A Leg Race But The Evolutionary Arms Race

Joshua Valera Evolution Spring 2014

Dr. Karentz

4/7/2013

Not a Leg Race, But The Evolutionary Arms Race

Whether it be at a high-end banquet or at a BBQ in the park, when conversing with a group of people it is often said to “never discuss religion and politics.” These are two topics that one is advised to stray away from when socializing with others due to the fact that some may have their heart and soul invested into the matter, thus revealing your opinions on “what is going to happen after we die” or “what political party is better” may lead to offensive comments and a chaotic argument. The caution of approaching these topics in conversation should also be the same when discussing evolution. When talking about evolution or sharing an opinion, one must tread lightly as one maybe stepping on a couple of toes with their opinions. The topic of evolution branches out into numerous theories and hypotheses that may be simple to a creationist or a biological scientist but to a person such as myself, evolution can be a labyrinth. Due to the numerous and perplex theories of evolution, my goal is to shine light and provide understanding for a single topic in relation to evolution. By no means is this factor more important than the others as mutation and genetic drift demonstrate an equal importance to evolution, however a vast ocean of biological information can not be explained by one student. The main focus of this paper is on a factor that is present in animal kingdoms all o...

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...ll of a cheetah's energy is spent hunting the gazelle or if its physiological traits only surround the improvement of hunting, then the aspects of mating and breeding (which are also important for survival) are at risk. All the energy that is being spent hunting or evasion lessens the amount of energy that could be used to find a mate or breed for future generations. In layman's terms, there must be compromise in all aspects of a species life in order to survive; it is not just surrounded by hunting or evasion of a predator. Trade-offs is a necessary ingredient in the evolutionary arms race as it serves as type of check and balance for species allowing an equilibrium between different aspects of a species life by not allowing one aspect such as hunting or evasion surpass other important aspects of survival such as breeding or mating.