129 lines
7.5 KiB
Plaintext
129 lines
7.5 KiB
Plaintext
ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßÛßßßßßÛÛÜ ÜÜßßßßÜÜÜÜ ÜÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÛßß ßÛÛ
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ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛ ÜÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜ ßÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜÛÛÝ Ûß
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ßßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÞÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßßÛÜÞÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÞß
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Mo.iMP ÜÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ßÛß
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ß ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÜÜ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÛÛÜÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛ ßÛÛÛÛÛ Ü ÛÝÛÛÛÛÛ Ü
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ÜÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ßÛÜ ßÛÛÛÜÜ ÜÜÛÛÛß ÞÛ ÞÛÛÛÝ ÜÜÛÛ
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ÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÜÜÜß ÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛÛÛÛÛß
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ßÛÜ ÜÛÛÛß ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÜÜ ßßÜÛÛßß ßÛÛÜ ßßßÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ßßßßß ßßÛÛß ßßßßß ßßßßßßßßßßßßß
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ARRoGANT CoURiERS WiTH ESSaYS
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Grade Level: Type of Work Subject/Topic is on:
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[ ]6-8 [ ]Class Notes [Essay on Man finding ]
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[x]9-10 [ ]Cliff Notes [girl ]
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[ ]11-12 [x]Essay/Report [ ]
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[ ]College [ ]Misc [ ]
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Dizzed: 09/94 # of Words:964 School: ? State: ?
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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>Chop Here>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
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File REPRODCT.TXT has 964 words, and 6102 bytes.
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======================================================================
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REPRODUCTION: A-Courting to Nature! LIFE SCIENCES SIG
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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For some time she had watched his movements, appearing coyly in his
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haunts. And now, had it paid off? Doubtless, he was in love. His
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muscles were taut; he swooped through the air more like an eagle
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than a Greylag gander. The only problem was, it was not for her that
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he then landed in a flurry of quacks and wingbeats, or for her that he
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dashed off surprise attacks on his fellows. It was, rather, for
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another - for her preening rival across the Bavarian lake.
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Poor goose. Will she mate with the gander of her dreams? Or will
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she trail him for years, laying infertile egg clutches as proof of her
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faithfulness? Either outcome is possible in an animal world
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marked daily by scenes of courtship, spurning and love triumphant.
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And take note: these are not the imaginings of some Disney screen-16
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writer. Decades ago Konrad Lorenz, a famed Austrian naturalist,
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made detailed studies of Greylags and afterwards showed no
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hesitation in using words like love, grief and even embarrassment to
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describe the behavior of these large, social birds.
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At the same time he did not forget that all romance - animal and
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human - is tied intimately to natural selection. Natural selection
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brought on the evolution of males and females during prehistoric
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epochs when environmental change was making life difficult for
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single-sex species such as bacteria and algae. Generally, these
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reproduced by splitting into identical copies of themselves. New
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generations were thus no better than old ones at surviving in an
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altered world. With the emergence of the sexes, however,
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youngsters acquired the qualities of two parents. This meant that
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they were different from both - different and perhaps better at
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coping with tough problems of survival. At the same time, nature
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had to furnish a new set of instincts which would make "parents"
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out of such unreflective entities as mollusks and jellyfish..
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The peacock's splendid feathers, the firefly's flash, the humpback
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whale's resounding bellow - all are means these animals have
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evolved to obey nature's command: "Find a mate. Transmit your
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characteristics through time!" But while most males would accept
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indiscriminate mating, females generally have more on their minds.
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In most species, after all, they take on reproduction's hardest
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chores such as carrying young, incubating eggs and tending
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newborns. Often they can produce only a few young in a lifetime.
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(Given half a chance, most males would spawn thousands.) So it's no
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surprising that the ladies are choosy. They want to match their
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characteristics with those of a successful mate. He may flap his
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wings or join a hockey team, but somehow he must show that his
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offspring will not likely be last to eat or first in predatory jaws.
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Strolling through the Australian underbrush that morning, she had
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seen nothing that might catch a female bowerbird's eye. True,
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several males along the way had built avenue bowers - twin rows of
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twigs lined up north and south. True, they had decorated their
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constructions with plant juices and charcoal. Yet they displayed
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nothing out front! Not a beetle's wing. Not a piece of flower.
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Then she saw him. He stood before the largest bower and in his mouth
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held a most beautiful object. It was a powder blue cigarette
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package, and beneath it there glinted a pair of pilfered car keys.
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Without hesitation she hopped forward to watch his ritual dance.
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Males have found many ways to prove their worth. Some, like
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bowerbirds, flaunt possessions and territory, defending these
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aggressively against the intrusion of fellow males. Others, like
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many birds and meat-eating mammals, pantomime nest building or
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otherwise demonstrate their capacity as dads. Still others,
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however, do nothing. Gentlemen may bring flowers, but most male
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fish just fertilize an egg pile some unknown female has left in
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underwater sand. For a fish, survival itself is a romantic feat.
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For other species, though, love demands supreme sacrifices.
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Shortly after alighting on the back of his mate, the male praying
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mantis probably had no idea what was in store. This would have
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been a good thing too, because as he continued to fertilize his
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partner's eggs, she twisted slowly around and bit off his head. She
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continued to put away his body parts until well nourished and thus
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more able to sustain her developing young.
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Luckily for most species, the urge to mate come on only
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occasionally, usually in springtime. For love can hurt, particularly
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if you intended has difficulty telling a mate from a meal. Pity the
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poor male of the spider species, Xysticus Cristatus, for instance.
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His only hope of survival is to tie a much larger female to the
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ground with silk thread, and keep her there.
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Every time a moth releases its attracting scent, or a bullfrog sings
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out its mating call, these animals are risking a blind date with some
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predator. Such alluring traits have long puzzled scientists,
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particularly those which seem not only risky but useless as well.
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Why, after all, should a frigate bird mate more if he puffs out an
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extra large red throat sac? How does ownership of such a thing
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indicate a superior individual? Until recently, the question stymied
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biologists, but then researchers in the U.S. and Sweden announced a
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possible answer. While studying widowbirds, among whom
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extravagant tail feathers are hip, they discovered that the
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longest-tailed males also carried a lower number of blood parasites.
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Sexual ornamentation seemed to be a means by which males could
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show of superfluous health and energy.
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All of which may bring us to fast sports cars, flashy clothes and
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other accessories of the human suitor. After all, if he can afford
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dinner at the city's most expensive restaurant, chances are he could
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finance a baby too.
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