Expert: Walter Hintz - 2/10/2010

Question
QUESTION: Mr. Hintz,

Thank you for replying to my questions. But, when you say that there is little argument against the use and disuse theory and you gave the example of an ostrich, weren’t you contradicting the theory of evolution? I am probably wrong but I always thought evolution occurred because of the whole "survival of the fittest idea" not because an ostrich refused to fly and thus his or her offspring couldn’t fly. What do you think?

Mark Meckstroth

ANSWER: Lamarck was correct in that if we do not use something it is lost. But that ha nothing to do with evolution. Evolution tries to explain how a trait disappears and in my opinion it does not do a good job.  I have been to the Galapagos Island a couple if times and on an Island called Ferendina there is a bird called a flightless cormorant. This bird has wings but they are non functional with few feathers. The birds occur only on this Island. How did this happen. Their ancestors had functional wings and could fly. In fact their ancestors must have flown to this Island. It appears that they stopped flying. Why The island is isolated and cormorants are not strong fliers. Natural selection tells us that the ability to fly no longer had survival value. You would think that being able to fly is better then not being able to. But nature abhors a waste of energy and unnecessary flying wastes energy.
The evolution of flightless birds took a long time. Penguins are perfectly adapted to the environment where they live They have to "fly'  underwater to feed. With flying wings they could not do so.
I have run out of ideas here. If you want to carry this farther or wish to comment. I am here

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Mr. Hintz,

I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. But, aren't you basically saying evolution is false when you say it doesn't effect which traits will be carried on in a species? As far as the Flightless Cormorant, couldn't a random mutation, that wasn't fatal, have caused it not be able to fly? I also wanted to let you know that I am doing some research into your claim that Lamarck was right and I will get back to you with my findings. Thank you for taking the time to read my e-mail.

Mark Meckstroth

Answer
OK any time Mark

I reread your last question. The flightless cormorant is a separate species from the other cormorants and a single mutant gene cannot bring about a new species. Speciation implies macroevolution and macroevolution takes a long time. Personally I believe that speciation by random mutation and competition is not the whole story.
If you are really interested in the evolutionary process then I refer you to DR. Lynn Margulis and her book Acquiring Genomes