https://nautil.us/survival-of-the-friendliest-236515
Evolution
Survival of the Friendliest
- It’s time to give the violent metaphors of evolution a break.
By Kelly Clancy 5:11 PM CDT on March 17, 2017
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In the Black Queen model, organisms shed genes coding for functions that other species in the environment already provide. It’s a foil to the better-known Red Queen hypothesis, which posits that organisms are subject to a sort of evolutionary arms race, ever adapting new weapons and defenses just to avoid extinction. Though evolution is often characterized as a forward march of complexity, organisms actually shed genes quite often. Biological functions are metabolically costly to maintain, and if they aren’t strictly necessary, they’re best excluded from a genome. (The Black Queen Hypothesis takes its name from the game of Hearts, wherein players try to avoid picking up the queen of spades to avoid a particularly heavy penalty.) A canonical illustration of the Black Queen Hypothesis is found in two free-floating marine cyanobacteria, Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus. They use photosynthesis to feed themselves but are both harmed by a toxic byproduct of the process, hydrogen peroxide. An enzyme that can neutralize hydrogen peroxide, catalase peroxidase, is particularly costly to produce. And, though both need it to survive, only Synechococcus carries the genes for it. Synechococcus mops up all the hydrogen peroxide in the environment, while Prochlorococcus enjoys protection at an energetic discount.
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An interesting insight. It’s not “dog eat dog” that always succeeds. It appears that there is an alternative evolutionary explanation. Species can cooperate and both gain an advantage.
I was thinking the shark with its pilot fish. The pilot fish get a “free meal” and the shark gets a “free cleaning”.
Maybe that’s how humans first formed tribes?
From that principle pops out “division of labor”.
While a surgeon can probably transcribe surgical notes better and faster, it’s a better economic result if they stick to surgery.
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