"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "michael adams" contains these words:


I suggest you console yourself with the fact that life
forms of one form or another, all the way up from trilobites
through woodlouse and silver fish equivalents, all the way
up to cats and squirrels and chimpanzees co-existed
quite happily for 350 million years, prior to man's arrival
on the scene.

That simply isn't true. Species did not anthropomorphically "co-exist
quite happily", they predated on each other.

....

And in order for them to predate on each other....

The "quite happily" refers to the equilibrium which necessarily
existed between them, not to their emotional state in any
anthropomorphic sense. In terms of their continue existence
as species, this co-existence with other species was "fortunate",
"happy", "convenient", whatever. Herbivores happily coexisted
with grasses etc. Grazing by herbivores was beneficial to grasses.
Both in terms of manuring and promoting growth by constant pruning.
Carnivores preyed on herbivores. Bacteria and fungi consumed dead
carnivores. The bacteria from rotten carnivores and herbivores *
fixed atmospheric nitrogen in the soil which also fed the grasses.
A bit simplistic but there you go. All happily coexisting. Species
died out, of course they did. Nobody denies that.

....

Many became extinct (for
various reasons) long before man came on the scene; we only know of
their existence from fossilised remains.

....

Indeed. But any life forms which did exist, we can assume must
have co-existed in a state of equilibrium with some other life
forms. Be they bacteria, viruses, trilobites, insects, plants,
animals etc. Or maybe only different strains of bacteria. All
quite happily co-existing. La de da!


michael adams


* carrion


Janet