The Principles of Biology, Volume 1 (of 2)Spencer, Herbert
Science
The Principles of Biology, Volume 1 (of 2)
Spencer, Herbert
Biology
others in which there is decided want of vigour. So that we are alike shown
why in-and-in breeding tends to diminish both fertility and vigour: and why
the effect cannot be a uniform effect, but only an average effect.
§ 96. While, if the foregoing arguments are valid, gamogenesis has for its
main result the initiation of a new development by the overthrow of that
approximate equilibrium arrived at among the molecules of the
parent-organisms, a further result appears to be subserved by it. Those
inferior organisms which habitually multiply by agamogenesis, have
conditions of life that are simple and uniform; while those organisms which
have highly-complex and variable conditions of life, habitually multiply by
gamogenesis. Now if a species has complex and variable conditions of life,
its members must be severally exposed to sets of conditions that are
slightly different: the aggregates of incident forces cannot be alike for
all the scattered individuals. Hence, as functional deviation must ever be
inducing structural deviation, each individual throughout the area occupied
tends to become fitted for the particular habits which its particular
conditions necessitate; and in so far, _un_fitted for the average habits
proper to the species. But these undue specializations are continually
checked by gamogenesis. As Mr. Darwin remarks, "intercrossing plays a very
important part in nature in keeping the individuals of the same species, or
of the variety, true and uniform in character:" the idiosyncratic
divergences obliterate one another. Gamogenesis, then, is a means of
turning to positive advantage the individual differentiations which, in its
absence, would result in positive disadvantage. Were it not that
individuals are ever being made unlike one another by their unlike
conditions, there would not arise in them those contrasts of molecular
constitution, which we have seen to be needful for producing the fertilized
germs of new individuals. And were not these individual differentiations
ever being mutually cancelled, they would end in a fatal narrowness of
adaptation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account