Something like this occurs with kangaroos, and some other species, which keep foetuses on the ready waiting for good times. They even re-absorb them when times are bad enough. But they breed very rapidly in good times and plagues regularly occur.
What seems to have evolved is an adaptive reproduction strategy, not group selected forbearance.
Something like this occurs with kangaroos, and some other species, which keep foetuses on the ready waiting for good times. They even re-absorb them when times are bad enough. But they breed very rapidly in good times and plagues regularly occur.
What seems to have evolved is an adaptive reproduction strategy, not group selected forbearance.