Animals evolved large body size gradually. But why this trend?
Solution
Ans:
Animals evolved large body size gradually. This trend is because:
- Humans and many other animals tend to evolve larger body sizes over time.
- Cope\'s rule holds that there is active selection for increasing body size in nature.
- It appears that evolution follows certain rules and can, at least to some extent, be predicted.
- Advantages associated with a large size, such as ability to move faster, to burrow more deeply
and efficiently in sediment or to capture large prey.
- Increases in size may in themselves have been a response to ecological factors.
- An increase in size means that animals incur an increase in absolute metabolic costs.
- Large animals also have a smaller surface area to volume ratio than small ones.
Solution
Ans:
Animals evolved large body size gradually. This trend is because:
- Humans and many other animals tend to evolve larger body sizes over time.
- Cope\'s rule holds that there is active selection for increasing body size in nature.
- It appears that evolution follows certain rules and can, at least to some extent, be predicted.
- Advantages associated with a large size, such as ability to move faster, to burrow more deeply
and efficiently in sediment or to capture large prey.
- Increases in size may in themselves have been a response to ecological factors.
- An increase in size means that animals incur an increase in absolute metabolic costs.
- Large animals also have a smaller surface area to volume ratio than small ones.
