Maple: Surviving the strongman

Throughout time, countless species have come into existence — breeding, fracturing, mixing, and adapting … but mostly dying. What we deem a successful species relies on several factors. Chiefly, our own definitions of such constructs: from classification to success. But I digress. These are, after all, semantics. That we are alive, pattern-seeking, and attempting to thrive is justification enough to comment — and perhaps survive.

A species’ success is derived from its longevity, adaptability, and population stability. Put simply, how long has it survived? What has it survived? And are there enough left to survive? The characteristics that seem to augment a species’ longevity are primarily based on its ability to adapt to external conditions. There have been countless species that have adapted to a specific environment, that is to say, a climate or ecological niche. And many have temporarily thrived until that niche has collapsed or changed even slightly. Thus, the speed with which a species can adapt to change constitutes significantly to its longevity.

The factors that allow a species to adapt swiftly are fourfold. Reproductive success, the capacity to procreate swiftly and efficiently — not unlike the rabbit and non-coincidentally us. So be fruitful and multiply should perhaps have been mentioned in those 10 commandments. Until recently, it was common for humans to have 6-10 children due to the high risks of infant mortality and premature death; only about 50% would survive into adulthood. A far cry from our friend the rabbit, of which only 15% of the 20-70 kits (baby rabbits) survive into adulthood. Species that don’t “get after it” like our friend the panda tend to beeline toward extinction. Rates of reproductive success are thus essential for the next piece of the puzzle, genetic variation.

The larger the variety of children a species has, the higher the likelihood of genetic variation and the chance for diversification through mutations/adaptation. Thus, the possibility that some offspring might be better suited to changes in climate and environment. In this, it becomes a simplish — though hopeful game of probability — that is compounded, through outbreeding, lending to greater genetic diversity. Luckily, humans and most every other species realized early on the dangers of inbreeding, with almost every human population having strict taboos on incest… Though simultaneously imposing unfounded taboos on how far out we should outbreed. It increasingly appears that the further the better, with some studies suggesting that children of parents with the greatest genetic diversity produce offspring that are taller, stronger, and smarter.

Third, within the nonhuman kingdom, species that are generalists rather than specialists have higher rates of survival — a willingness or propensity to diverse food sources and climates allows them to survive in many environments. And protects them against small changes that could nevertheless impact a single food source. The omnivore tends to have higher rates of longevity than the herbivore or carnivore. A principle that has been applied to many human endeavors, like the economic strategy of diversified investment portfolios. And the age-old saying, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. With the advent of agriculture and language, humans have been able to reap the best of both worlds, with the ability for individuals to specialize, developing insight and advancement that would otherwise be impossible — while the species as a whole is generalized.

Finally, augmented by the combination of the previously indicated characteristics, the most successful species then migrate and thrive over a large geographic area. Further diversifying a population and creating resilience to isolated changes in environments that might otherwise destroy the species. It’s not enough for a species to migrate — it has to leave roots behind along the way.

Coincidentally or not, our longest-lasting and most innovative civilizations have followed many of these characteristics. Through laws, policies, and practices that have enhanced diversification and communication. While expanding trade opportunities and inclusivity — to insulate populations from drought and climate change as well as disease and disaster. Civilizations often start to collapse when they restrict ideas, trade, and communication, as social inequalities and corruption start to rise. Many of us are experiencing, perhaps for the first time in our life, a political climate that’s noticeably changing our lives and certainly changing the lives of people we know. We’ve lived through pandemics and recessions, and droughts, but rarely the sporadic whims of a “strongman.” With heavy overtones drawing so much of our world toward homogeneity and away from acts of diversity and inclusion that have so long been the hallmarks of a thriving civilization, it behooves us to resist. Perhaps, to survive and thrive, we can apply some of the lessons and characteristics that have augmented the longest-lived species on our planet. After all…

“Extinction is the rule, survival is the exception” — Carl Sagan

World Cup and Olympic skier Wiley Maple was raised in Aspen.