I believe that open source has many parallels to a functioning ecology. And the open source developer contributes even his failures back into the environment, to enrich the soil from which other innovations can grow. Second, ecology teaches us that a rich environment takes time to evolve. One species prepares the ground for another. For example, lichens and mosses break down rock, creating soil that can support more complex plants.
Ecological succession takes time.
But as the substrate laid down by simple organisms grows richer, the possibilities for complexity increase. But there's an interesting twist. Those random plants and animals that survived had a chance to shape the rebirth of the entire ecosystem. But you don't need to be starting an ecosystem from scratch to see this effect. One of the things that I like best about open source software is that it so clearly demonstrates the power of chance and unintended cooperation in helping the computer industry to evolve.