146 SYMBIONTICISM AND THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES 



If we refuse to create a completely new principle of structure of 

 the cell through intracellular symbiosis, it does not necessarily 

 follow that intimate symbiosis may not be the stimulus for the 

 development of new animal forms. We have previously indicated 

 such possibilities in the insects, but it is of the greatest impor- 

 tance that, as a result of the mixture of an animal with a symbiont, 

 new biological or physiological possibilities arise. In the course 

 of their operation, old characters may be intensified or repressed, 

 the latter, for example, as it occurs in wing-formation in the 

 female Lampyris in which the misplacing of the wings and the 

 loss of flying were due to the acquisition of symbiotic luminous 

 bacteria. Entirely new characters may arise in connection 

 with the symbiosis. [Translation.] 



Buchner, apparently, recognized secondary modifieations 

 due to Symbionticism, but he failed to recognize the pri- 

 mary modification associated with the microsymbiont. 

 The host responded to the acquisition of the microsymbiont 

 by developing a light organ. This response was a primary 

 modification in the host, and of sufficient magnitude to 

 produce a new species. 



It will occur to the informed reader that there are many 

 features of organic evolution that may not be explainable 

 on the basis of Symbionticism. It would be difficult, for 

 example, to attempt a rational explanation of the develop- 

 ment of "mimicry" through Symbionticism. So far as 

 I know, there never has been advanced a rational theory 

 to explain this interesting biological phenomenon. It 

 would appear that "design" enters into the development of 

 mimicry; we are unable to recognize any such element 

 in Symbionticism. If an element of design enters into 

 organic evolution, the factors controlling this principle 

 remain to be discovered. 



In the Introduction to this book, we outlined three 

 major or cardinal factors operating in organic evolution. 

 These three factors are controlled by three cardinal princi- 



