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Evolutionary patterns; Evolutionary pattern extrapolation
Topic Started: Nov 15 2009, 08:20 AM (3,505 Views)
T.Neo
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Translunar injection: TLI
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I'd like to take the oppurtunity to post some things that have evolved multiple times/niches that have evolved multiple times.

Body structures and life stratagies:

Eyes- evolved multiple times. Advanced eyes have evolved multiple times as well. Vision is a very useful ability, I don't see why this wouldn't evolve elsewhere.

Jaws/mouthparts- evolved multiple times. From the derived gill arches of vertebrates, to the leg-derived mandibles of arthropods, and the rasping radulae of molluscs. Jaws also seem to be a very useful feature, and have evolved to fit several different roles.

Supporting structures- evolved multiple times, in more advanced creatures such as arthropods and vertebrates. Simply put, supporting structures are essential to becoming a dominant species, although an exoskeleton can hinder size.

Armor- evolved multiple times. The exoskeletons of arthropods are both supporting structures and armor, although some species are more protected then others. Also very common in benthos such as molluscs, brachiopods and sea urchins. Vertebrates, especially tetrapods, display many vastly different armor schemes.

Insulatory structures- evolved multiple times, vital to temperature regulation in active creatures. From the hair of mammals to the hair-like structures of pterosaurs and protofeathers of dinosaurs, and fluffy setae of bumblebees, insulatory structures are quite likely to evolve elsewhere.

Flight- evolved multiple times, once in arthropods and three times in vertebrates. Mechanisms for flight differ.

Euosociality- evolved multiple times in arthropods, and even in mammals.

Display organs- horns, crests, etc. Multiple times in vertebrates, especially dinosaurs/mammals.

Camoflage- very common. Is dependant on the environment, but is almost certain to evolve elsewhere.

Hydrodynamic bodyplans- evolved multiple times, in fish, squid, icthyosaurs, dolphins/whales and to a lesser extent in some other secondarily aquatic lineages.

Reliant polinisation, i.e. flowers- relying on another organism to propagate the gametes. This occurs in some of Earth's plants.

Symbiosis- evolved multiple times. Corals and algae, and the fungi and algae that make up lichens, etc.

Life stratagies:

Small shelly organisms- brachiopods and some molluscs.

Specialised carnivores- tyrannosaurs, big cats.

Generalist carnivores- allosaurs, maniraptors, dogs/wolves.

Gigantic aquatic filter-feeders- baleen whales, certain fish.

Small herbivores- hypsilophodonts, deer etc and kangaroos/wallabies. All very different yet have some key similarities.

Medium herbivores- term is relative. buffalo, bison, mammoths, elephants, hadrosaurs, ceratopsians. All very common in their environments.

Large herbivores- sauropods, indricotheres. Perhaps mammoths and elephants in their particular environments.

Ant/termite eaters- anteaters, pangolins. Clearly ants would not exist outside of Earth (unless introduced) but equivalent creatures should occupy the niche.

Armored animals- tortoises, ankylosaurs/stegosaurs, glyptodonts and perhaps rhinoceroses. Heavily armored animals.

Parasites- evolved multiple times. Animals that exploit other animals to survive.


I am sure there are more repeated traits or niches, feel free to correct any errors or make additions. :)








Edited by T.Neo, Nov 16 2009, 08:52 AM.
A hard mathematical figure provides a sort of enlightenment to one's understanding of an idea that is never matched by mere guesswork.
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Holben
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Rumbo a la Victoria

Or if it didn't excrete at all and kept waste inside, digesting it until it disappeared.
Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea.

"It is the old wound my king. It has never healed."
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Canis Lupis
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Dinosaurs eat man, woman inherits the Earth.

That's what I'm talking about.
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Holben
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Rumbo a la Victoria

Oops.. sorry. I restated your thing accidentally. I missed your post.
Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea.

"It is the old wound my king. It has never healed."
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Ànraich
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L'évolution Spéculative est moi

I've always wondered why Earth organisms are so inefficient at digestion. Why even make waste? Doesn't it make more sense to completely break down whatever is ingested and use every bit of it? It's not like there are some things the body can and can't use with other organic material, it all has a use somewhere. Is it just too expensive in terms of Energy-Used vs Energy-Gained, or is it just something that was not necessary in Earth's global ecosystem?
We should all aspire to die surrounded by our dearest friends. Just like Julius Caesar.

"The Lord Universe said: 'The same fate I have given to all things from stones to stars, that one day they shall become naught but memories aloft upon the winds of time. From dust all was born, and to dust all shall return.' He then looked upon His greatest creation, life, and pitied them, for unlike stars and stones they would soon learn of this fate and despair in the futility of their own existence. And so the Lord Universe decided to give life two gifts to save them from this despair. The first of these gifts was the soul, that life might more readily accept their fate, and the second was fear, that they might in time learn to avoid it altogether." - Excerpt from a Chanagwan creation myth, Legends and Folklore of the Planet Ghar, collected and published by Yieju Bai'an, explorer from the Celestial Commonwealth of Qonming

Tree That Owns Itself
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Iowanic
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Yeah; my guess is the energy to competely breakdown food entirely would exceed the gain therein.

Note also; waste is used by other life; which may benefit a said waste-producer later. A deer that doodys in the forest fertilizes plants it may be feeding upon later that year.

Kinda a neat system we got, I always thought...

I have a couple critters on Zeta, who are basically doody-consumers(Spooros; Muki-duks, dungoz)

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ATEK Azul
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Here: http://whalewithlegs.deviantart.com/art/Jetsnail-Cladogram-119505544

Read the description about digestion.
I am dyslexic, please ignore the typo's!
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Holben
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Rumbo a la Victoria

Dung beetles need excretion to keep babies alive.
Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea.

"It is the old wound my king. It has never healed."
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Empyreon
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Are you plausible?

Quote:
 
Why even make waste?


It could be a chemistry thing. We breathe in oxygen as a fuel to burn in our metabolism, but the CO2 byproduct (which is comparatively useless to us) has to go somewhere. Perhaps it's the same with waste products. Our chemistry has done what it can with what we've eaten, so we need to pass on what's left to the detritivores and poopsmiths of the world.
Take a look at my exobiology subforum of the planet Nereus!

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food for thought
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Holben
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Rumbo a la Victoria

Bit of a waste, if we're propagating our own existence over others.
Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea.

"It is the old wound my king. It has never healed."
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Ànraich
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L'évolution Spéculative est moi

Well thinking about it, this does create entire ecosystems, even on Earth. For instance in Deer Cave, Borneo, the floor of the cave is completely covered in bat guano. This guano provides energy for all kinds of organisms finding refuge from predators in the cave, which receives no sunlight.

Now imagine a tidally locked world where organisms in the Twilight Zone hunt/graze and then venture into the Night Zone to escape predators. They take with them their digested food, and deposit it on the Night Zone surface, where light never shines. This could potentially be the foundation for an entire ecosystem on the dark side of the planet.
We should all aspire to die surrounded by our dearest friends. Just like Julius Caesar.

"The Lord Universe said: 'The same fate I have given to all things from stones to stars, that one day they shall become naught but memories aloft upon the winds of time. From dust all was born, and to dust all shall return.' He then looked upon His greatest creation, life, and pitied them, for unlike stars and stones they would soon learn of this fate and despair in the futility of their own existence. And so the Lord Universe decided to give life two gifts to save them from this despair. The first of these gifts was the soul, that life might more readily accept their fate, and the second was fear, that they might in time learn to avoid it altogether." - Excerpt from a Chanagwan creation myth, Legends and Folklore of the Planet Ghar, collected and published by Yieju Bai'an, explorer from the Celestial Commonwealth of Qonming

Tree That Owns Itself
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Xenophile
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What about urineation? It seems like a big waste of water to me. Why havn't we evolved to keep the water and dispose of the wasted chemicals in our feces?
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Oceaniis
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We didn't but bugs did it!

Also Birds and reptiles use very low quantities of water to "urinate" because during the time developing in the egg they can't consume their limited water in excretion
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Holben
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Rumbo a la Victoria

That's one of the reasons dinosaurs triumphed in the Triassic.
Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea.

"It is the old wound my king. It has never healed."
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Empyreon
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Are you plausible?

The reason we expel wastes in water is because water acts to lubricate the passage. There are actually rodents that minimize the water in their urine...
Take a look at my exobiology subforum of the planet Nereus!

COM Contributions


food for thought
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Holben
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Rumbo a la Victoria

Wait, so if we hap a really big gap, the poo could just drop out?
Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea.

"It is the old wound my king. It has never healed."
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