> David Leeper <dleeper@gte.net> wrote:
[CLIP]
> > : The arrangement is non-optimal because the flounder starts
> > : out like a regular fish with its eyes on either side of its
> > : head. Over the course of its lifetime one eye gradually
> > : moves over to the other side of the head and as it adopts
> > : a horizontal posture. Other flat fish species like rays
> > : are not similarly disadvantaged.
> >
> > Why is this a disadvantage? The Flounder seems to do just
> > fine with eyes on the side of its head. Yes, it looks a
> > little strange, but "Not looking strange to humans" is not
> > a survival requirement.
>
> "Doing just fine" does not mean optimal. It is at a disadvantage
> because considerable resources are necessary to metamorph midway
> through life, resources that could better be spent foraging and
> reproducing.
?????
Compared to what?
Before I can say that "considerable resources are necessary" is not
optimal [or locally optimal, which I all I ask of evolutionary processes]:
I presume the resource question is "obvious". That leaves:
I would have to know that under a wide range of conditions [hopefully
including natural ones], that the direct method provides a higher
survival curve to reproductive age/time zone. Not much higher: as I
computed earlier for an example, punctuated equilibria and its variants
are natural to evolutionary systems, under even apparently minor
selective pressure shifts.
[CLIP]
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/ Towards the conversion of data into information....
/
/ Kenneth Boyd
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////