Well the diversity of the Cambrian explosion makes more sense now. Life on earth discovered sex and just had a few million year long planet-wide orgy lol
On a serious note, what if thatâs actually kind of what happened? Like what if species specific sexual reproduction wasnât the norm when life was starting out? If animals were basically just accepting whatever DNA was given themâregardless of whether it was from their species or notâsure lots of the offspring wouldnât be viable, but ample food and lacking predators means you can try again. This kind of breeding would facilitate some incredible genetic diversity which is exactly what we see in the Cambrian diversification.
We have no idea why so many of them looked the way they do, but what if thats because they inherited lots of traits they didnât need?
I think that's a little backwards. Evolution is all about filling niches. The article seems to state Ediacaran diversity was driven by phenotypic (environment-induced) variation caused by ecological stressors. They claim sexual reproduction seems to be a product of environmental factors which drove the diversification.
It's thought that the Ediacaran had fewer viable niches than the Cambrian, it's just really not understood why that is. We don't really see anything near that explosion in diversity again until the land-colonization of the Devonian which is kind of the same explosion driven by unoccupied niche phenomena
22 Comments
PM_ME_VINTAGE_30S@anarchist.nexus · 75 pts · 53d
Glad to know I'm in good company đ
5715@feddit.org · 26 pts · 53d
They were not not having sex because had trouble finding a mate, they didn't have sex because they didn't need to... :)
TachyonTele@piefed.social · 42 pts · 53d
Well you know WHAT SUSAN I Dont need to have sex either! And further more, I enjoy sleeping on this couch!!
Maroon@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 52d
ParlimentOfDoom@piefed.zip · 18 pts · 53d
I'm sure that's what they told themselves.
5715@feddit.org · 5 pts · 53d
I mean, they kinda had to, because... you know... they were all by themselves
Jake_Farm@sopuli.xyz · 6 pts · 53d
Sex just hadn't been invented yet
searabbit@piefed.social · 8 pts · 53d
Now I'm wondering what kinda freaky organism invented sex for the first time
ohulancutash@feddit.uk · 5 pts · 53d
Whatever it was, it was probably Fr*nch.
dxdydz@slrpnk.net · 42 pts · 53d
âIt took getting freaky for life to get freakyâ was right thereâŚ
AnarchoEngineer@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 30 pts · 53d
Well the diversity of the Cambrian explosion makes more sense now. Life on earth discovered sex and just had a few million year long planet-wide orgy lol
On a serious note, what if thatâs actually kind of what happened? Like what if species specific sexual reproduction wasnât the norm when life was starting out? If animals were basically just accepting whatever DNA was given themâregardless of whether it was from their species or notâsure lots of the offspring wouldnât be viable, but ample food and lacking predators means you can try again. This kind of breeding would facilitate some incredible genetic diversity which is exactly what we see in the Cambrian diversification.
We have no idea why so many of them looked the way they do, but what if thats because they inherited lots of traits they didnât need?
GentriFriedRice@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 53d
I think that's a little backwards. Evolution is all about filling niches. The article seems to state Ediacaran diversity was driven by phenotypic (environment-induced) variation caused by ecological stressors. They claim sexual reproduction seems to be a product of environmental factors which drove the diversification.
It's thought that the Ediacaran had fewer viable niches than the Cambrian, it's just really not understood why that is. We don't really see anything near that explosion in diversity again until the land-colonization of the Devonian which is kind of the same explosion driven by unoccupied niche phenomena
Tlaloc_Temporal@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 52d
Was that Worms and the churning up of the sea floor, or was that earlier than the Ediacaran?
Ratio_Tile@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 19 pts · 53d
Same
darthsundhaft@piefed.social · 4 pts · 53d
Same
Rozauhtuno@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 13 pts · 52d
Yeah, me too.
danekrae@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 53d
"Cool, what is this I grew?! Maybe I can stick it in whatever that thing over there is."
janus2@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 53d
probably what the first bacterium to spontaneously mutate the gene for an F pilus "thought"
FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 53d
SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de · 10 pts · 53d
sorry about that
bfg9k@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 53d
...so fish don't always fuck in it?
homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 53d
Thatâs what she said!
AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space · 4 pts · 53d
Epic handshake meme material