ritaxis: (Default)
ritaxis ([personal profile] ritaxis) wrote2009-09-07 11:07 am
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on the coining of new words

from Botanical Latin, by William T. Stearn, with reference to certain 18th-century descriptive botanists:

"Vaillant's other new terms have long been forgoten. Such apparent wastage of words occurs throughout the development of a terminology and is by no means regrettable: the greater the production of seeds by a plant, the stronger is the chance of a few seedlings reaching maturity."

(page 32)


Of course, there is the other reproductive strategy, which the French academicians use: few offspring, intensely nurtured. K strategy, versus R . . . I admit it, I always have to look up which letter goes where, since I don't know what the letters stand for. K is few offspring: I will say it stands for Kindergarten. R is many offspring, I will say it stands for Radiolarians.
carbonel: Beth wearing hat (Default)

[personal profile] carbonel 2009-09-08 06:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Apparently r and K are ecological algebra terms, but I always remember which one is which by thinking of rabbits and Kangaroos.

[identity profile] ritaxis.livejournal.com 2009-09-08 07:31 pm (UTC)(link)
thank you!