Cope's Rule
Formal Statement
"Animal lineages tend to increase in body size over evolutionary time"
Mathematical Form
Probabilistic: mean body size within lineages tends to increase over time, though with significant variation Description
Within evolutionary lineages, there's a tendency toward increasing body size over generations. Early horses were dog-sized; modern horses are much larger. This is not a universal law but a statistical tendency.
Biological Implication
Larger size often confers competitive advantages: better defense against predators, access to more food sources, improved thermal regulation. However, larger size also creates vulnerabilities - larger animals need more food, reproduce more slowly, and are more vulnerable to mass extinctions.
Business Implication
Companies and industries tend to consolidate over time - successful firms grow larger, acquiring smaller competitors. But this creates fragility: large firms need more 'food' (revenue), reproduce (innovate) more slowly, and are more vulnerable to market disruptions. The tendency toward bigness is real but creates systematic vulnerabilities.