egg eating wasRe: GSAS Re: Tampa Bay

[Frauley/Elson <fraulels@minet.ca>]

I have questions about a couple of the assumptions here.
First, do we know egg eating is a problem in the wild? If not (and I've
not read of it) then it is likely aquarium behavior, and can be blamed
on aquarium conditions. I liken this behavior to lab rats eating their
own feet when they are severely stressed. What's the evolutionary
advantage of that? None I can see as it's a different process at work.
When I get confused and frustrated, I like to have a bite to eat while I
try to sort the new situation out... (Don't worry, my kids are safe...)
So why discuss evolutionary advantages when discussing something fish
haven't evolved for? Even Singapore rams aren't raised in aquaria - they
come from larger holding containers, vats and ponds, to my knowledge.
Their habitat is large antibiotic filled vats. We assume they are
adapted to aquaria. Why? They die like flies in aquaria.
As well, how can we say 'micro-evolution', as egg-eating would be,
confers advantages? Evolution is a roll of the dice. Some mutations give
advantages, some do nothing, and others give diseases. I think the
debate on the advantages of egg eating assumes there are advantages, as
if evolution had a direction or a purpose. 
I tend to think stuff happens, and it happens differently in captive
conditions than it does in natural conditions.
-Gary

> >With regards to Dave's questions, I cannot see any evolutionary advantage in
> >forgetting how to parent, unless of course you had the unfortunate habit of
> >eating your young. If that were the case, laying the eggs and leaving them
> >would be far more advantageous for fry survival, wouldn't it? I know that we
> >are not discussing parents leaving their young here, but that's the only way
> >I can see any advantage in losing parenting skills. I don't think I'm into
> >devolution.
> >(I'm being kind of facetious here).
> >
> >More seriously though -
> >
> >As to the evolutionary value of eating your young, (after watching my
> >roommate's dempseys demolish their 150+ fry in a 90 gal filled with
> >other dempseys and giant danios), I suppose that, as
> >a parent fish, if you had put time and effort (body-mass, really) into
> >generating small reproductions of yourself, if you were convinced that they
> >were not going to survive - for whatever reason - it would make sense to
> >re-enlist the resources you had squandered (eat 'em!) so as to prepare for
> >another, hopefully more successful attempt at reproduction.
> >
> >I don't know if i have figured anything out here - does it make any sense?


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