fr,

THIS IS BIOLOGY - ECOLOGY AND ALL THE DYNAMICS THERE-OF = THIS IS WHAT ALL SPECIES DO, HUMANS INCLUDED. YOU LEARN THIS THINKING AND DYNAMICS IN ECOLOGY/EVOLUTION CLASSES 101.... = ADAPTIVE RADIATION.



YOUR TERM 'DESERTIFICATION' IS A VALID ONE. NORTH AFRICA HAS BEEN DRYING UP FOR MILLENIA; SO HAS SOUTH AFRICA. IF THE HABITATS AND RAINFORESTS REMAIN AS THEY ARE RIGHT NOW IN CENTRAL - EQUATORIAL AFRICA, 'MAYBE' AFRICA'S ECOSYSTEMS HAVE A SMALL CHANCE TO SURVIVE, AND THE ANIMALS THAT LIVE THERE TOO.... BUT THAT IS NOT LIKELY = THE RAPE OF NATURAL RESOURCES BY THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES IS SIMPLE: THEY HAVE TO LIVE AND TAKE WHAT THEY NEED, AND THE ENVIRONMENT SUFFERS FOR IT, BUT MAN WILL BE GET HIS WHEN THE RESOURCES ARE ALL BUT GONE, AND NOBODY CAN HELP THEM = LOCAL EXTINCTION. THIS IS A NATURAL PROCESS. BUT I DIGRESS.



As the habitat changes and it surely has and does, the exsisting species, must change to fit it, or become extinct. But please, its not so simple, any givin species, lives in and exsists in, a perfered habitat thats normal for its species. At the same time, that species explores marginal habitats, in which to colonize.



MANY THINGS AFFECT AN ANIMALS LOCATION IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT; FIRE, POPULATION DENSITY, PREDATORS, MAN, HABITAT LOSS, ECT... LOOK AT VARANUS RUDICOLLIS FOR ITS EXPLORATION OF MARGINAL HABITATS FOR INSTANCE, FROM PRIMARY LOWLAND RAINFORESTS TO OIL PALM ESTATES....THESE ANIMALS' NATURAL HABITATS ARE BEING GREATLY DESTROYED SO THEY ARE MOVING INTO ARTIFICIAL HABITATS SUCH AS OIL PALM ESTATES; ALBIGULARIS AND EVERY OTHER VARANUS DO THIS TOO....



Exsistance in marginal habitat, is either temporary or the colonies must change and adapt. Maybe Sam can help you with this, I am sure he can explain it better.



I AM VERY WELL AWARE OF THIS CONDITIONS AND HOW IT WORKS THANK YOU FOR THE REFERRAL BUT NOT REQUIRED....BUT SAM COULD TEACH YOU A FEW THINGS ABOUT ZOOLOGY I BET.



Remember, Africa is in a prolonged period of desertification(god I hope thats a good word)(drying out), and thats possibly the cause for the migration of characteristics amoung different albigs. The changing of the continent is causing islands of Albigs, when in historical times, they were more continious.



SHELTER, WATER AND FOOD ARE PRIMARY REASONS FOR MIGRATION. WHEN THE RUANDA/BURUNDI WAR BEGAN, V. ALBIGULARIS WERE SEEN FEEDING ON ALL THE 800,000 BODIES STREW ALL OVER THE PLACE, AS WELL AS V. NILOTICUS. THEY DO NOT USUALLY FEED ON THIS, BUT THEY ARE OPPORTUNISTIC PREDATORS. ANIMALS ARE STATIC ANIMALS IF YOU THINK I THINK THAT, BUT RATHER VERY FLUID IN THEIR ABILITY TO ADAPT, CHANGE AND ADJUST TO THEIR SURROUNDINGS - I.E. A WC VARANID ENDING UP IN YOUR HOME AND LIVING WITH YOU FOR YEARS, EATING, MATING, ECT....DO WE ADAPT SO EASILY TO SUCH CONDITIONS (= PRISON)? MY FATHER CLAIMED 'NO WE DO NOT!' HE WOULD KNOW, HE WAS SHIPPED AROUND LIKE A COMMON SAVANNAH FROM CAGE TO CAGE CAUSE HE WAS GOOD AT ESCAPING FROM THEIR CAGES - BUT LIKE MOST VARANIDS DID NOT GET VERY FAR BEFORE GETTING RECAPTURED. HAHAHA.



I believe, what I just explained, is considered a major cause of speciation(the development of new biological groups)



AS MENTIONED ABOVE, SPECIATION OCCURS THROUGH A VARIETY OF REASONS, AND FOR A BEAUTIFUL FUN READ ON THIS I RECOMMEND 'THE BEAK OF THE FINCH' BY JOHNATHAN WEINER. ANOTHER GOOD LITTLE BOOK ON ANIMAL SPECIATION IS 'ANIMAL SPECIES AND THEIR EVOLUTION' BY A.J. CAIN. THESE TWO BOOKS WILL INFORM YOU ABOUT HOW BOTH GENETICS AND ENVIRONMENT SUBTLEY OR ABRUPTLY EFFECT AN ANIMALS' POPULATION CHANGE THROUGH TIME, SOMETIMES VERY SHORT TIME!



cheers,

mbayless



Its the enviornment(the horse) that causes speciation, not the species.

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