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Author Topic:   Evolutionary Adaptation
Modulous
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Posts: 7801
From: Manchester, UK
Joined: 05-01-2005


Message 7 of 115 (318226)
06-06-2006 8:29 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Damouse
06-03-2006 7:10 PM


Is adaptation to an enviroment possible? Lets say you move a group of a hundred people out to an island thats made of broken glass. Assuming they died natural deaths, would their feet harden over the years? In other words, would they adapt to their surroundings and pass that on to their children?
Possible?
If having harder feet meant greater reproductive success, then the population may well tend towards this solution. Your natural death clause would mean they, on average, die the same age. So the only way I can see an evolutionary solution being possible would be if resistance to broken glass wounds increased fecundity in some way (perhaps not tending to wounds allows more leisurely pursuits or perhaps females don't find bloody wounds attractive and prefer woundless mates or something).
Of course we are still ignoring the hundred people factor. Its quite a low number that represents a significant genetic bottleneck - but I have a feeling that you brought the number up arbitrarily and didn't mean for this to be an important point.
Another issue that needs discussing is Lamarckism (an issue discussed by WK). Obviously the 100 people themselves would not pass on their scar tissues/callouses to their offspring. Not unless some bizarre epigenetic effect came to light. There is some evidence that mother's who are starving (ie during a famine), will give birth to smaller kids (smaller kids will fit through smaller maternal bodies easier than big kids)...your environment can affect the offspring.
However, I don't think that would happen with feet scars - especially with such a small population size.

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 Message 1 by Damouse, posted 06-03-2006 7:10 PM Damouse has replied

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Modulous
Member
Posts: 7801
From: Manchester, UK
Joined: 05-01-2005


Message 19 of 115 (318641)
06-07-2006 8:41 AM
Reply to: Message 18 by Wounded King
06-07-2006 4:50 AM


In the scenario Modulous described it would not be a genetic change, it would be the lack of sufficient nourishment for the child as you suggest.
True, but the case I was trying to remember was that this tendency appears in the undernourished adult's offspring and perhaps their offspring as well...which would imply an epigenetic influence. Unfortunately I'm failing to find the cause but the study surrounded some small European village.
The only similar study I can find is about a Dutch famine where the infants had a tendency towards obesity - perhaps an epigenetic instruction advising the offspring to build up a store of fat in case of famine.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 18 by Wounded King, posted 06-07-2006 4:50 AM Wounded King has not replied

  
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