The most effective survival strategy: becoming lazy

tirto.id – Many ordinary people misunderstand the term survival of the fittest. First, the term is always badociated with Charles Darwin, the father of the theory of evolution. In fact, the creator was actually the philosopher Herbert Spencer. This term is the means of compressing the evolutionary concepts that he has read in Darwin's work.

Second, the term raises images that are not entirely true about survival. The term survival of the fittest can publish images of lions that feed on wildebeest through epic hunting episodes. Or the battle between two male lions maintains domination in the group. In short, who is stronger, is he who survives.

Reality the most fit not always tied to the strongest individual or species. This could mean any combination of the best species: the most skilled in camouflage, the smartest, the most agile to move, or the most cooperative in the group. In fact, the slowest and slowest species can be the most successful survivors. Why

Inaction is badociated with a low metabolic rate. The latest study shows that the lower the metabolic rate, the more likely the species is to survive. This is seen in the case of the animal evolution of mollusk phyla. For millions of years, molluscs have made slowness a survival strategy. Molluscs are invertebrate animals that include species such as snails, shells and octopuses. They have a soft body, most have shells and live in an aquatic or wet environment.

"Instead of survival of the fittest, maybe a better metaphor for natural history is survival of the laziest or at least the survival of the weak"said Bruce Lieberman, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Kansas, quoted by The Washington Post.

Bruce Lieberman recently participated in research conducted by Luke Strotz, a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Biodiversity at the University of Kansas. Julien Kimmig, head of the Biodiversity Institute's collection, and Erin Saupe from Oxford University, were part of the team. The team conducted a study of fossil mollusc data in the Atlantic Ocean to study metabolic contributions to species extinction rates.

The study covers a period of about 5 million this year – from the Pleiocene to the present – published under the title "Metabolic Rates, Climate and Macroevolution: A Case Study Using Neogenic Molluscs" in the journal Acts of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Last August.

The study by Strotz and his colleagues departs from the question: can we see the risk of extinction of species based on the absorption of energy by organisms? For this, Strotz and his team studied data from 46,000 specimens from approximately 300 species of molluscs living in America. From the badysis of the data, they finally found a difference in the metabolic rate of extinct species for 5 million years and which are still viable.

"Those who are extinct tend to have higher metabolic rates than those who are still surviving." Low-metabolic species tend to have higher levels of durability than those with higher metabolic rates, Strotz said. on the next page. Science Daily.

The study also shows that metabolic rates can be used as an indicator of the likelihood of extinction. This is especially true for species with limited habitat. On the contrary, this indicator is not very valid for species distributed over a large geographical area of ​​the ocean.

The habitat zone is an important element in determining the probability of extinction, as species distributed in close habitats are much more likely to disappear rapidly. The reason is of course the limited food sources. As a result, species with a high metabolic rate will find it more difficult to adapt if the habitat is damaged and the source of food is reduced. That is, the probability of extinction is even greater.

However, what remains a mystery is the existence of species that remain highly metabolized in close habitats. The reason is always mysterious. A possible temporary response is because they have a high mortality rate. Hawan must be mature quickly and reproduce immediately before the species is killed by predators. Strotz called the theory "live fast, die young".

The general conclusion is that for species to survive in narrow habitats where food sources are limited, they slow down the metabolism to save energy. Especially in a constantly changing environment.

Strotz and his team hope that this research will provide a better understanding of the complexity of studying species extinction. Another benefit is to help conservationists predict which animals are most likely to disappear in the near future due to climate change.

"I think the most interesting part of this study is what is potentially used to predict extinction, or we will better understand the different species that exist." These organisms exist because they have survived to extinction, "said Strotz, quoted by the press. Lawrence Journal-World.

According to Strotz, this study could be extended and applied to other types of animals. The big question is this: Is the relationship between metabolic rate and extinction consistent for other groups of living creatures? At least, for the moment, the results of this study can be generalized to other groups of animals living in the ocean.

Can this also apply to our species, homo sapiens? Unfortunately, Strotz said that this study did not apply to the human species. So, if you intend to draw this conclusion from the study as an excuse for not getting up on Monday, you should cancel it.