writes:
Diversity of the gene pool? I don't really know, I'm
guessing here. Also (and I don't know how directly
applicable this is here) if species A that preys on species
B develops a strategy or technology wherein they gain a huge
advantage and thus wipe out large numbers of species B not
because they need to but because they can, they could
subsequently suffer a die off themselves because they've
wiped out their food source. Thus a pressure to _not_ kill.
This does not work (classic example of group selection). Any tendency to do
something for the good of the community or species at the expense of your own
life (and genes) fails to survive. Selfish genes prevail. Things must be for
the good of the self not the group. Take your example of overkilling your
food source. This is of course true but, take two members of the population.
The good guy says she will not overkill the prey but the selfish bad guy does
anyway. Because she has killed more pray she has more food and produces more
offspring who inherit her selfishness. The problem of altruism has been one
of the significant issues in evolution over the past 30 years. For most part
it has been shown that altruistic behavior is always selfish (for your genes
if not yourself).
