>> What is your opinion on reintroducing megafauna to former ranges? <<
Variable.
I support returning extant megafauna (and other species) to as much of their home range as feasible. This often makes large improvements in the habitat. (See "How Wolves Change Rivers" for an example.)
I think that reviving recently extinct species that humanity killed off or helped to kill is a responsible thing to do.
>> I have seen suggestions of introducing elephants and rhinos to the Americas, to replace mammoths and wooly rhinos from the last Ice Age. It might be a way to increase survival odds. <<
They're not native to the area, and not adapted to most of it. They need a massive amount of territory; we have very little that would suit their needs. And there aren't enough of them in their home territory either.
I'd probably be more inclined to support reviving the native species of the Americas. However, the environment has changed so much since then, it's not a great match for them anymore -- and rapidly becoming even less so due to global warming.
That said, I would be interested to see their impact in test plots. I wrote about that with a mechanical mammoth in T-America. It did in fact use elephant dung as the closest substitute for mammoth.
>> More children, some live. - Animorphs <<
That is one of two dominant paradigms in reproduction. The other is "Few children, invest heavily." A problem is that many species divide both methods across the sexes: males are usually spray'n'pray, females are usually invested. This is a problem. Though I confess the nudibranchs have it worse, in which every member seeks to rape and run while avoiding their opponent's attempt to stab them with eggs.
Thoughts
Variable.
I support returning extant megafauna (and other species) to as much of their home range as feasible. This often makes large improvements in the habitat. (See "How Wolves Change Rivers" for an example.)
I think that reviving recently extinct species that humanity killed off or helped to kill is a responsible thing to do.
>> I have seen suggestions of introducing elephants and rhinos to the Americas, to replace mammoths and wooly rhinos from the last Ice Age. It might be a way to increase survival odds. <<
They're not native to the area, and not adapted to most of it. They need a massive amount of territory; we have very little that would suit their needs. And there aren't enough of them in their home territory either.
I'd probably be more inclined to support reviving the native species of the Americas. However, the environment has changed so much since then, it's not a great match for them anymore -- and rapidly becoming even less so due to global warming.
That said, I would be interested to see their impact in test plots. I wrote about that with a mechanical mammoth in T-America. It did in fact use elephant dung as the closest substitute for mammoth.
>> More children, some live. - Animorphs <<
That is one of two dominant paradigms in reproduction. The other is "Few children, invest heavily." A problem is that many species divide both methods across the sexes: males are usually spray'n'pray, females are usually invested. This is a problem. Though I confess the nudibranchs have it worse, in which every member seeks to rape and run while avoiding their opponent's attempt to stab them with eggs.