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Dear Dave, I totally agree with you. Ecosystems are highly complex and simple mathematical models can hardly explain. Willing to be short and simple I didn't make myself clear. When I said that "nothing in biological evolution stops s the quest for individual reproductive success from destroying the environment" what I meant is that "There is nothing that /a priori /prevents such behavior " It is only a posteriori that the different forces that operate in an evolutionary ecosystem working together will determine that a extremely selfish behavior cannot succeed. I'd really like to see Edmund's model. Best, Xavier When I said On 10/07/18 00:58, Dave Dixon wrote: > Xavier, > > I think it's a misrepresentation to state that most evolutionary > theories say there is nothing to limit population growth. Ecosystems > are complex and their occupants co-evolve over long periods of time. > Most simplified equilibrium population models abstract that complexity > into a carrying capacity, beyond which things go poorly for the > species of interest. There is also a lower limit below which genetic > diversity takes a hit. Apex predators like sharks don't eat fish until > they starve to death - the low density of food means a low density of > sharks which limits shark reproduction. That's what goes in cycles. > Thrive and crash cycles are unusual in unperturbed ecosystems. > > Rapa Nui and Tikopia are extreme examples of very small ecosystems > with invasive macro organisms: humans and pigs. While Tikopians found > their carrying capacity early, Rapa Nui people were not so fortunate. > > -dave > > On 07/09/2018 11:20 AM, Xavier VIlà wrote: >> And the answer, according to most evolutionary theories, is also simple: >> >> "Nothing" > -- <http://www.uab.cat> Xavier Vilà Departament d'Economia i d'Història Econòmica Unitat de Fonaments de l'Anàlisi Econòmica Edifici B - Despatx B3-148 Campus de la UAB · 08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès) · Barcelona · Spain T +34 581 21 91 www.uab.cat <http://www.uab.cat> <http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9122-5525> <https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=ADEAABlFHlMBngKblrhjVHKjy-AeI0ez6koG6Vg&authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=PY-w&locale=en_U> This message may contain private or confidential information, and is addressed exclusively to its intended recipient. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and delete it. Please bear in mind that you are not authorized to use it for any purposes. Please consider the environment before printing this email. ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the SIMSOC list, click the following link: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=SIMSOC&A=1