It might be possible to write an Alife simulation to test what happens to diversity when you introduce more horizontal gene transfer. The selfish gene idea would suggest that if otherwise uninhibited genes will try to copy themselves to as many species as possible, but there may also be other memetic forces tending to keep groups separate as a way of optimising their own transmissibility.
Diversity seems to have dropped in ecosystems such as wheat and corn not as a direct result of horizonal gene transfer - but rather as a result of market forces. Advertisers do not want a million different products to sell. Research doesn't want a million different products to develop. Support doesn't want a million different products to maintain. Consumers don't want a million competing products to choose between.
The modern monocultures exist because people don't like diversity.
One good thing about diversity in nature is that it allows nature to perform many tests in parallel - thereby accelerating the exploration of the search space.
The nearest engineering equivalent is probably beta-testing. There you have a bunch of users prepared to put up with possibly-defective workmanship fresh from the R&D labs - often for the sake of getting their hands on them before everyone else.
It might be possible to write an Alife simulation to test what happens to diversity when you introduce more horizontal gene transfer. The selfish gene idea would suggest that if otherwise uninhibited genes will try to copy themselves to as many species as possible, but there may also be other memetic forces tending to keep groups separate as a way of optimising their own transmissibility.
motters2001 2 years ago
Diversity seems to have dropped in ecosystems such as wheat and corn not as a direct result of horizonal gene transfer - but rather as a result of market forces. Advertisers do not want a million different products to sell. Research doesn't want a million different products to develop. Support doesn't want a million different products to maintain. Consumers don't want a million competing products to choose between.
The modern monocultures exist because people don't like diversity.
tmtyler 2 years ago
One good thing about diversity in nature is that it allows nature to perform many tests in parallel - thereby accelerating the exploration of the search space.
The nearest engineering equivalent is probably beta-testing. There you have a bunch of users prepared to put up with possibly-defective workmanship fresh from the R&D labs - often for the sake of getting their hands on them before everyone else.
tmtyler 2 years ago