On Sep 17, 2014, at 9:40 AM, randy oliver <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Pete, let's dispense with terms like "better," which put a human value judgment on a phenomenon.  

Not exactly. To say that such an organism is “more fit” is the same as saying it’s “better suited.” No human value judgment there. Same as saying that most mutations are negative, cause maladaptation, or lethality, and in an objective sense, they are “worse” for those organisms. Although the loss of mutations in the gene pool is “better” for the species.

But beyond that, which is better for a species’ survival? To become tightly integrated into a niche environment or to become highly flexible, hence adaptable in a real time sense, not in the sense of adapting over time? I submit as a long term evolutionary strategy, highly flexible behavior and intelligence are far “better” for long term survival than rigid instinctual patterns that work only under particular conditions.

Most cases of species extinction involve failure to adapt to change. Being able to adapt to change is “better” and in fact, genetic recombination produces the variability which enables species to produce novel genotypes/phenotypes which can survive under changed or changing conditions. 

Being able to accommodate constant change is a very valuable trait, and — I submit — one which the honey bee has. Selective breeding by humans or extreme isolation may produce a particular strain of bee which fits the needs of the beekeeper or the constraints of that extreme environment, but it does not lead to an all purpose swiss army knife set of responses. Further, I believe that the African bee in the wild exhibits an extreme variability which is “better” for the survival of the species — especially when compared to the failure of the European bees to quickly adapt to varroa. 

Peter Loring Borst

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