Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Not the Answer I was Expecting

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science asks the question:
Why Do Oysters Choose to Live Where They Could be Eaten?
The answer:
According to an article in the May edition of Ecological Monographs, a team of scientists has found that despite the risk of being eaten by cannibalistic adults, oyster larvae choose to settle in areas of high oyster concentrations to take advantage of future benefits of increased reproductive capacity when they mature.
Ohhhh, so, it’s “Why do oysters choose to live where they could be eaten by other oysters? - not by humans.

While I think the latter wording of the question would make for a more interesting experiment, it could not possibly make for a better title of the actual article: “Mechanisms reconciling gregarious larval settlement with adult cannibalism.”

Science!

7 comments:

Leigh C. said...

Does this apply to the blogging oyster. ya think? ;-)

Anonymous said...

It certainly explains why kids still enroll at Auburn.

Mr. Clio said...

"Increased reproductive capacity"?

Does this mean that Orleanians live in an area likely to get hit by hurricanes and failed levees because we think we are more likely to get laid?

Or does it not work that way . . .

da po' boy said...

Mr. Clio,

Going by your comment on Mr. Haney's blog regarding the offspring "that I know of," it may work that way in your case.

I believe a scientific study of the gregarious reproductive lives of musenonymous bloggers is in order.

(I jest, of course.)

TravelingMermaid said...

Not even going there......

oyster said...

First dozen is on me.

Jason Brad Berry said...

Oyster...why do you choose to live in a city where you may be eaten?