Since Darwin, we have all known that we are the product of evolution and are therefore linked to those who preceded us. Since Lamarck, we also know that acquired characters can be transmitted and that DNA is only one of the vehicles in this long chain: there is also an evolution of acquired characters not dependent on modifications of DNA but on its regulation – a so-called “non-sequential” heredity attesting to the complexity of living things and their capacities for adaptation (Danchin). In recent decades, we have also observed that this long chain corresponds to a collective work, all species having links and a role in this cascade. Not only are we not alone in this universe, but our future depends on the coherence and respect of this continuity. A Russian doll interlocks living animals and plants in a continuous manner. Let us judge!
A work recently published in Science illustrates this complexity and the importance of respecting ecosystems. US and Kenyan researchers tell this story. A new ant arrives in the savannah, an ant with a big head. She begins by chasing away her cousin, an ant who lived in the bushes and lived in mutuality with acacia trees. As a result, the acacia is weakened and vulnerable to elephants. The destruction of trees results in a more open environment. which does not suit the Lion who hides behind the trees to catch and feed on the zebras – his favorite dish. He had no choice but to attack the buffaloes – more difficult and dangerous targets. Result, from 0% as a food source, the buffalo increases to 40% in a few years. Good news for zebras and bad news for buffaloes.
It all looks like a huge set of Russian dolls where behind each living species hides a multitude of interactions. A cow is herbivorous thanks to the bacteria in its body otherwise it would not be able to digest grass. We are made up of about as many human cells as microbial cells. Our genome – supposed to characterize us – also comes from elsewhere. So, our energy-producing machines – the mitochondria – were once bacteria that infected us and integrated them into our genome. At least 8% of our genome is of viral origin… the secrets of evolution result from an enormous collective contribution – There is strength in numbers, as they said in another field. The notion of individual is therefore complex in differentiating what is inside from what is outside.
The moral of this story is that we are more at the center of the universe, Nature is. We can deduct from this that emptying the oceans of fish and nature of insects, birds etc. necessarily have negative consequences in series. The idea is no longer to preserve biodiversity because of a moral or theoretical aspect but simply because our survival depends on it. Fewer sharks – massacred for the aphrodisiac effects of their fins according to Chinese legends maintained by inculturation – impact the entire ecosystem because they regulated a balance between different species of fish. It is not surprising that we find jellyfish weighing 150kg and that some fish have almost disappeared. The de facto elimination of biological borders with global trade impacts ecosystems just like the massacre of insects with pesticides that do not sort. A new concept has emerged the “evosystem”: the environment evolves through selections which, without reproducing, favor survival or not. A little humility which is largely lacking in Homo Sapiens leads us into a wall, we are not going to solve everything with technology, no matter what those who believe in the superiority of our brains!
