Why do organisms re-produce?

[brownzilla786]

Why should they? It takes so much energy/time/resources that they could put to themselves. I mean really, does a microorganism etc. really care that it has made offspring? Why wouldn't it keep resources for itself, then die, why should it care about future generations?

I know this is more of a philosophical question but I would like a scientific answer, if there is one.

 

[TecHNooB]

you would have made more sense asking for a philosophical answer.

 

[nageov3t]

if they didn't, you'd never know they existed.

 

[PingSpike]

All organisms that used the selfish strategy you suggested have died out.

 

[Nintendesert]

OP is a fucking moron. :|

 

[sdifox]

survival of species?

 

[Pray To Jesus]

Because God made them that way.

 

[highland145]

They're aspiring to be like us one day, evolved with ipads.

 

[SlitheryDee]

Because it's the genes that are in the driver's seat. The organism reproduces because the genes need to reproduce. All that gathering of resources is just to make certain that the organism puts itself in a position to pass on it's genes. Why conserve them to live longer when life beyond a certain amount of reproduction was never the point?

 

[CraigRT]

I thought the thread title at first glance was "Why do orgasms re-produce?"

 

[highland145]

I thought the thread title at first glance was "Why do orgasms re-produce?"

One fap, the more you fap?

 

[Rubycon]

All we need is a 100% organic battery and our energy problems are solved. :biggrin:

 

[Shawn]

And what happens if they die?


Reproduction usually produces more than one so it's the only way to build up a population.

 

[zanejohnson]

All we need is a 100% organic battery and our energy problems are solved. :biggrin:

hehe we are one

 

[IronWing]

Feels good, man.



Also, go read Dawkins' The Selfish Gene. Read it anyway, it's pretty good and was written before Dawkins entered his obnoxious phase.

 

[zanejohnson]

you could go one step deeper with that question and be like... why do we "create" the moment. why do we even need to exist on the physical plane, where reproduction is necesary?

 

[Braznor]

There are two levels of replication.

The first is at the molecular level within the cells of the organism i.e. the chemical composition of these chemicals are so structured that replication is an inherent process triggered by certain factors bound to happen within the environment in which they exist. This in turn triggers the greater cell enveloping the chemicals in question to replicate themselves. This type of replication is also present in non living structures eg; crystals

The second type of replication happens in multicellular creatures. This process is an offshoot of factors inherent within the creature's biology and is an extension of the cellular replication at the molecular level. This behavior is triggered by psychological pressure on the creature's decision processes which makes it replicate. An example of this pressure is sexual pleasure i.e hormone levels inside an animal forces it to fulfill its find ways to satisfy its urges. The animal may not itself care about having children, but the chemical balance inside the creature would make it indulge in behaviors conducive to producing offspring. That result could either make it successful mate with its sexual counterpart leading to successful replication or go hump a tree.

 

[zanejohnson]

There are two levels of replication.

The first is at the molecular level within the cells of the organism i.e. the chemical composition of these chemicals are so structured that replication is an inherent process triggered by certain factors bound to happen within the environment in which they exist. This in turn triggers the greater cell enveloping the chemicals in question to replicate themselves. This type of replication is also present in non living structures eg; crystals

The second type of replication happens in multicellular creatures. This process is an offshoot of factors inherent within the creature's biology and is an extension of the cellular replication at the molecular level. This behavior is triggered by psychological pressure on the creature's decision processes which makes it replicate. An example of this pressure is sexual pleasure i.e hormone levels inside an animal forces it to fulfill its find ways to satisfy its urges. The animal may not itself care about having children, but the chemical balance inside the creature would make it indulge in behaviors conducive to producing offspring. That result could either make it successful mate with its sexual counterpart leading to successful replication or go hump a tree.

its really quite amazing.

 

[edro]

Think of each species as a collective single organism, since they all share the same genes.
The entire species is trying to stay alive and the only way to do that is to create offspring (since everything decays).

Hell, think of LIFE in general as a single entity and the only way for life to continue is to reproduce. Having multiple species that specialize in different forms of survival is the best way.

The question should be "Why do genes replicate?", which comes back to "Why does life exist?"

 

[dan4patriots]

Because God made them that way.

this :thumbsdown:

 

[brownzilla786]

There are two levels of replication.

The first is at the molecular level within the cells of the organism i.e. the chemical composition of these chemicals are so structured that replication is an inherent process triggered by certain factors bound to happen within the environment in which they exist. This in turn triggers the greater cell enveloping the chemicals in question to replicate themselves. This type of replication is also present in non living structures eg; crystals

The second type of replication happens in multicellular creatures. This process is an offshoot of factors inherent within the creature's biology and is an extension of the cellular replication at the molecular level. This behavior is triggered by psychological pressure on the creature's decision processes which makes it replicate. An example of this pressure is sexual pleasure i.e hormone levels inside an animal forces it to fulfill its find ways to satisfy its urges. The animal may not itself care about having children, but the chemical balance inside the creature would make it indulge in behaviors conducive to producing offspring. That result could either make it successful mate with its sexual counterpart leading to successful replication or go hump a tree.

The second paragraph makes sense. But something in evolution created that chemical imbalance, if it was all primordial goo from the beginning something must have happened to make/allow/etc an organism reproduce. I guess that is what I am wondering, but I don't know if we have an answer.

 

[Gibsons]

The second paragraph makes sense. But something in evolution created that chemical imbalance, if it was all primordial goo from the beginning something must have happened to make/allow/etc an organism reproduce. I guess that is what I am wondering, but I don't know if we have an answer.

You might be thinking backwards. It seems highly unlikely that there were some first organisms that then somehow learned how to reproduce.

Otoh, maybe there were replicators (RNA and peptides) that then evolved into what we call organisms.

 

[KGB]

"Why do organisms re-produce? "

I'm sure the OP's parents have asked the very same question.

 

[TakeNoPrisoners]

Why should they? It takes so much energy/time/resources that they could put to themselves. I mean really, does a microorganism etc. really care that it has made offspring? Why wouldn't it keep resources for itself, then die, why should it care about future generations?

I know this is more of a philosophical question but I would like a scientific answer, if there is one.

They reproduce because if they didn't, they would not be here today. Everything that is alive is here because their ancestors were able to reproduce.

It is the survival of the fittest, those that cannot reproduce are considered failures and their genes never get to see another generation.

 

[Miramonti]

It's easy to say 'to survive', but that doesn't answer the question.

Same with why organisms develop eyes, ears, and various adaptations to one's environment. That's attributed to 'evolution' and the effort to survive, but no one really knows what's going on at an atomic level to create organisms' developmental and reproductive urges.