Dr. John;

(I call you this because Dr. John is the stage name of a rock/jazz/funk 
musician that I happen to like and to congratulate you on your achievement)

You have been fighting a good fight on this thread - I wanted to comment on 
this particular point:

 
> But niche inheritance is more than just being in the same conditions
> as your parental species. It is a matter of inheriting an environment
> that has been modified. For example, elephants will generate scrubby
> savannah in Africe by knocking down trees, which favour the selection
> of equally large progeny (NB, we're talking within species here),
> while pigmy elephants on (I think) Madagascar may not have modified
> the environment in the same manner or to the same degree.

You seem to be using this argument as a counterexample to the possibility 
of species selection.  I have elsewhere argued that traits that increase 
the overall carrying capacity of the environment for the organism in 
question are an example of selection "for the good of the species" 
(actually I would only say for the good of the deme). I believe I can show 
how these traits will be favored even if they have a small cost for the 
individual .

Yours,

Bill Morse
---
þ RIMEGate(tm)/RGXPost V1.14 at BBSWORLD * Info{at}bbsworld.com

---
 * RIMEGate(tm)V10.2áÿ* RelayNet(tm) NNTP Gateway * MoonDog BBS
 * RgateImp.MoonDog.BBS at 5/14/04 6:02:14 AM