More on Mr. T (bflying in parks)

[Chris Conlan]

Neil Jones wrote:

>I would
>point out that the greater capacity for reproduction of invertebrate
>populations is largely a red herring in this arguement.

I could not disagree with this more!  Ken Phillip already commented nicely
on this but let me just add a couple things.  The incredible reproductive
capacity of most invertebrates lies near the core of this argument.  It is
this capacity which allows rapid repopulation of areas and the large
population flux we often see in others.  Extreme predation/parasitization
in one year can often be more than compensated for in the following year.
I have seen populations go from virtually unseen to almost nuisance levels
in a single year.  Does anyone honestly think most birds or mammals could
do this (maybe some rodents)?  When was the last time a Condor, Eagle or
Moose gave birth to 200 offspring in a season!!  If you could get 200 eggs
out of a California Condor they could have repopulated the Western USA in
about two years!  Invertebrates utilize a much different strategy for
survival and often don't fit into the same old arguments people use for
birds and mammals.

Chris Conlan
conlan at adnc.com