# Hmm.  This is an Interesting Piece of Evolution News

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmm-this-is-an-interesting-piece-of-evolution-news/443214>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [March 29, 2008, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmm-this-is-an-interesting-piece-of-evolution-news/443214 "2008-03-29T23:34:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmm-this-is-an-interesting-piece-of-evolution-news/443214/1 "2008-03-29T23:34:28Z")

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And it _doesn’t_ involve Kirk Cameron! In the past, some folks here have said that there wasn’t any evidence that life evolves to take advantage of a new resource. Now, however, [it looks like that just might be the case.](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325083359.htm)

> [@](#):
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> The rate at which new species are formed in a group of closely related animals decreases as the total number of different species in that group goes up, according to new research.
> 
> The research team believes these findings suggest that new species appear less and less as the number of species in a region approaches the maximum number that it can support.

> [@](#):
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> Dr. Albert Phillimore, from Imperial College London’s NERC Centre for Population Biology, lead author on the paper, explains: "The number of niches in any given region is finite, and our research supports the idea that the rate of speciation slows down as the number of niches begins to run out.

I wonder what the mechanism is that triggers this?

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2008, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmm-this-is-an-interesting-piece-of-evolution-news/443214/2 "2008-03-30T00:19:32Z")

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It makes sense, really - when there are available niches, mutations that help a species exploit them are more favoured than if there’s already someone exploiting that niche quite well. When all available niches are occupied, you’re more likely to prevail by becoming _better at what you already do_, than doing something new others are already good at.

Same sort of thing happens in market economics.