Urth Digest, Vol 111, Issue 17‏

David Stockhoff · 02 Dec 2013, 23:32 · from 2013-December.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 18:32:05 -0500
Subject: (urth) =?utf-8?q?Urth_Digest=2C_Vol_111=2C_Issue_17=E2=80=8F?=
In-Reply-To: <BLU175-W15B7A5430BC8575084C421CFEA0 at phx.gbl>
References: <BLU175-W15B7A5430BC8575084C421CFEA0 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <529D1875.6030204 at verizon.net>


On 12/2/2013 3:24 PM, Lee wrote:
> Undines say they will continue to grow until they are able to mate with Abaia. This is almost but
> not quite in keeping with the most classic example of parthenogenetic reproduction, that being
> the phylum of Rotifers.
>
> Rotifer females happily clone themselves over and over in good conditions. But when their
> environment becomes stressful they start producing both male and female offspring who mate
> and produce diverse offspring, some of which will survive the stress.
>
> Perhaps this is the model Wolfe was drawing upon. Our Megatherian types bud off offspring as
> needed. But perhaps something stressful happened causing Typhon and Echidna to actually have
> sexual congress and diverse offspring. They certainly don't seem to have a relationship based
> on love.
Possibly. Plenty of species do that, including some fish. Many species 
migrate in response to stress, too, though most don't hollow out an 
asteroid.

Also, here's a tidbit about rotifers: The animals appear to offset a 
loss of genetic diversity by eating any DNA floating in their 
environment and incorporating it into their genome.

Hmm ... so on a diet of dead sailors ... hmm ...

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