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Re:The mystery of why one ant species goes after larger foes... by solidsnack9000 on Sunday October 04, 2020 @11:08AM (#24679574)
Some of the best features of people are the result of competitive evolution -- it's not just our worst features that come from the struggle for survival.

The iguana's war on algae is definitely hell for the algae. Is not killing other animals such a great distinction, in the grand scheme of things?

If all the animals were vegetarian and weren't getting preyed on, most of them would die of starvation. (Most birds, rabbits, &c die early -- it's not like people where surviving to adulthood is the norm.) The animals that killed the other animals to have more vegetables to eat would have more offspring and be more likely to survive. Killing others not to eat them but to eat their stuff -- that's war.

The iguana situation is one where there's just not much evolutionary pressure. It doesn't generalize.

Re:The mystery of why one ant species goes after larger foes... by lisper on Sunday October 04, 2020 @03:21PM (#24681590)
Algae doesn't have a brain, or even a nervous system, so eating algae instead of other animals really is a net win on the kumbaya scale.
Re:The mystery of why one ant species goes after larger foes... by tommica on Sunday October 04, 2020 @03:28PM (#24681623)
But if everyone eats algae, then there is no algae left!
Re:The mystery of why one ant species goes after larger foes... by Volundr on Sunday October 04, 2020 @06:12PM (#24682665)
That's only true if algae is incapable of reproducing as fast as it's consumed. In my experience running an aquaponics system this isn't a concern.
Re:The mystery of why one ant species goes after larger foes... by lisper on Sunday October 04, 2020 @03:54PM (#24681800)
And yet somehow there is still enough algae in the Galapagos for the iguanas to survive. Gee, I wonder how that could be possible.