Science Says Laziness May Help Species Avoid Extinction

A new study has found that laziness may be beneficial for the survival of a species from an evolutionary standpoint. The research comes out of the University of Kansas, where scientists studied extant bivalves and gastropods, finding that sluggishness — that is, lower metabolic rates — were associated with lower probability of extinction.

Metabolic rate refers to the amount of energy needed for an organism to live. By analyzing the metabolic rates of 299 species, the study found that higher energy requirements are a reliable way to predict how likely extinction is for a species. Though it's not the only factor, of course, species with lower metabolic rates have lower risks of extinction.

Talking about the research is study co-author Bruce Lieberman, who said:

Maybe in the long term the best evolutionary strategy for animals is to be lassitudinous and sluggish — the lower the metabolic rate, the more likely the species you belong to will survive. Instead of 'survival of the fittest,' maybe a better metaphor for the history of life is 'survival of the laziest' or at least 'survival of the sluggish.

Higher metabolic rates are less of an extinction factor for species spread out over larger geographic areas versus ones confined to smaller regions. The findings will help scientists predict extinction risk for species, being described as a "tool" to aid these forecasts.

SOURCE: University of Kansas