Comment by lutusp

> Or do you assert trees don't produce fruit in response to good growing conditions?

That's correct -- it's not a response as that term is defined, indeed use of the word "response" implies a misunderstanding of natural selection and suggests inheritance of acquired traits.

In a population of trees in the same environment, some produce more fruit due to random genetic variations between individuals. For chemical and biological reasons those specific trees blindly ascend over other genotypes and are over time more likely to prevail over those less fit. That's not a response as we understand the word, it's a product of mathematics and genetics.

> In response to the rock falling, a large sound was produced, and it startled a fox that heard it. No anthropomorphism.

In fact, assuming we assign a human emotion to the fox, as you did, that would be an example of anthropomorphizing.