454 



STUDIES IN SEEDS AND FRUITS 



Cosmic 

 adaptation. 



Its results 

 represented 

 by the 

 characters 

 common to 

 types of 

 organisms in 

 different 

 worlds. 



conditions, and specially adapted to their particular environ- 

 ment on the planet. Now, we may fairly argue that in their 

 turn terrestrial organisms possess in common with those of 

 other worlds an adaptation to the general cosmic conditions 

 prevailing in those worlds. This cosmic adaptation must be 

 postulated for all forms of terrestrial life. Though the 

 primal cosmic habit belongs to all, it is apparent that it may 

 be concealed or disguised or even lost through changes due 

 to the special conditions of a particular planet. Thus, regard- 

 ing the capacity of a seed for resisting desiccation as a part of 

 its primal habit, the loss of this capacity in the case of the seeds 

 of certain plants might be viewed as arising from adaptation 

 to the special terrestrial conditions. Strip an organism of 

 its specially terrestrial adaptations and the residuum is the 

 link that joins it to the life of other worlds. The moment 

 we introduce the life of the cosmos into our speculations 

 concerning adaptation, we are compelled to make this assump- 

 tion, since every special adaptation implies a more general 

 habit of existence. We cannot doubt that the biological 

 problems of the future will in the main centre round the 

 disentanglement of this cosmic adaptation, or rather with its 

 disinterment from beneath the terrestrial adaptations that lie 

 heaped upon it. 



From this point of view an organism is to be regarded as 

 specially adapted to ^ the earth as a separate world and as 

 generally adapted to the earth as a part of the cosmos. The 

 points in common between the types of organisms in diiFerent 

 worlds would thus present themselves as the result of cosmic 

 adaptation, whilst the points of difference would appear as due 

 to special adaptations to particular planets. On these grounds 

 we should expect to find in this world characters that are 

 not suggestive of any direct relation with the conditions of 

 existence, or are even out of harmony with them. Many 

 difficulties that seem insuperable for us, such as those con- 

 cerned with reproduction and the distinction between plants 

 and animals, may ultimately be overcome when regarded from 



