"William Morse"  wrote in message
news:bnsd04$1srl$1{at}darwin.ediacara.org...
> Anthony Cerrato  wrote in
news:bnn5fr$eit$1
> {at}darwin.ediacara.org:
>
> > One thing which is obvious in my non-expert observation
of
> > sexual vs nonsexual creatures: only sexual creatures
fall
> > into the class of what I'd call "complex" life (and what
are
> > generally the most commonly used definitions of same.) I
> > wonder what the general opinion is that sexuality is a
> > prerequisite for bio-complexity (and possibly, resultant
> > intelligence,) or if it plays little or no role in
evolution
> > of complex life. BTW, I'm excluding for the moment,
> > aggregates of biological units in considering complexity
> > (e.g., hives/nests, slime molds, etc.) although such are
> > certainly pertinent with regard to semantics in the
> > definitions of bio-compleity.            ...tonyC
>
> If memory serves me both dandelions and rotifers reproduce
exclusively
> asexually. Other animals and plants can do so under some
conditions. Again
> going on memory, dandelions are thought to be a temporary
exception to the
> general rule of sexual reproduction for "complex" life
(i.e. they only
> recently adopted asexual reproduction and may revert in
the future) and
> nobody has a good explanation for rotifers.
>
> Yours,
>
> Bill Morse

Hi Bill. I'm sorry that I didn't explain what I really meant
more clearly. I put "complex" life in quotes initially since
I didn't mean it in the usual biological technical sense (I
guess--I'm a chemist not biologist :).) What I meant was
complex in the very subjective sense of larger animals for
example; e.g., increased complexity being from
bacteria/prokaryotes, to your dandelions and rotifers, to
fish, reptiles/small mammals, to horses, monkeys, and
finally, man.

While evolution isn't necessarily directed, there has been a
persistent increase in complexity with time in my,
admitedly, loose view of complexity (unfortunately, I am not
familiar enough with more precise current non-traditional
definitions of this kind of complexity tho.) Do you agree
that in my above "list" that the higher degree of some loose
form of complexity demands (bi)sexuality, or, would it ever
be possible to reach animals as complex as horses, monkeys
and humans through evolution without sex?
.....tonyC
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