CitizenVectron Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 Flowers ‘giving up’ on scarce insects and evolving to self-pollinate, say scientists | Wild flowers | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM French wild pansies are producing smaller flowers and less nectar than 20 to 30 years ago in ‘startling’ act of evolution, study shows Quote "This is a particularly exciting finding as it shows evolution happening in real time," said Dr Philip Donkersley, from Lancaster University, who was not involved in the study. "The fact that these flowers are changing their strategy in response to decreasing pollinator abundance is quite startling. This research shows a plant undoing thousands of years of evolution in response to a phenomenon that has been around for only 50 years. Summary: Quote Summary: Plant–pollinator interactions evolved early in the angiosperm radiation. Ongoing environmental changes are however leading to pollinator declines that may cause pollen limitation to plants and change the evolutionary pressures shaping plant mating systems. We used resurrection ecology methodology to contrast ancestors and contemporary descendants in four natural populations of the field pansy (Viola arvensis) in the Paris region (France), a depauperate pollinator environment. We combine population genetics analysis, phenotypic measurements and behavioural tests on a common garden experiment. Population genetics analysis reveals 27% increase in realized selfing rates in the field during this period. We documented trait evolution towards smaller and less conspicuous corollas, reduced nectar production and reduced attractiveness to bumblebees, with these trait shifts convergent across the four studied populations. We demonstrate the rapid evolution of a selfing syndrome in the four studied plant populations, associated with a weakening of the interactions with pollinators over the last three decades. This study demonstrates that plant mating systems can evolve rapidly in natural populations in the face of ongoing environmental changes. The rapid evolution towards a selfing syndrome may in turn further accelerate pollinator declines, in an eco-evolutionary feedback loop with broader implications to natural ecosystems. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneticBlueprint Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 Win/win! sarcasm obviously Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal-El814 Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Vic20 Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 I look forward to Whole Foods "Self Procreating" produce! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spork3245 Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 Great, now even plants are becoming incels 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal-El814 Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 19 minutes ago, Spork3245 said: Great, now even plants are becoming incels Makes no nut November a bit literal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Best Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 So flowers are "thinking". Interesting and kinda frightening lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skillzdadirecta Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 29 minutes ago, best3444 said: So flowers are "thinking". Interesting and kinda frightening lol. Ever see Day of The Triffids? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spork3245 Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 46 minutes ago, Kal-El814 said: Makes no nut November a bit literal. IT'S DECEMBER Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal-El814 Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 Just now, Spork3245 said: IT'S DECEMBER But it’ll be November again, and there will be no nuts to be had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 This is stunningly rapid adaptation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ort Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 16 minutes ago, Kal-El814 said: But it’ll be November again Wishful thinking 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legend Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 Pretty cool! I can't back this up, but I suspect our DNA holds of a lot of historical strategies that don't typically manifest but allow for very fast adaptation of the population because it's kind of already there. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remarkableriots Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 1 hour ago, skillzdadirecta said: Ever see Day of The Triffids? Have you ever watched The Happening? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperSpreader Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 1 hour ago, legend said: Pretty cool! I can't back this up, but I suspect our DNA holds of a lot of historical strategies that don't typically manifest but allow for very fast adaptation of the population because it's kind of already there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skillzdadirecta Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 1 hour ago, Remarkableriots said: Have you ever watched The Happening? Unfortunately yes... Shayamalan also watched Day of the Triffids. It's where he got the idea for the Happening from. 2 hours ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said: This is stunningly rapid adaptation! This is why I always say we aren't "killing the earth". We can't do that. We're killing ourselves... Earth will be just fine once we're gone. You see how quick nature came back just the few months we were isolated during the pandemic? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Vic20 Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 2 hours ago, legend said: Pretty cool! I can't back this up, but I suspect our DNA holds of a lot of historical strategies that don't typically manifest but allow for very fast adaptation of the population because it's kind of already there. You can just say merpeople, its cool! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reputator Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 3 hours ago, legend said: Pretty cool! I can't back this up, but I suspect our DNA holds of a lot of historical strategies that don't typically manifest but allow for very fast adaptation of the population because it's kind of already there. I was literally just thinking this might actually be a regression to an older way of reproducing before pollinating insects. It's WAY easier for species to turn old genes on/new genes off than develop an entirely new gene. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbob42 Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 5 hours ago, best3444 said: So flowers are "thinking". Interesting and kinda frightening lol. No, they're not. At all. Who said that? How did you get that from this? There's a lot of anthropomorphic language here that might give the wrong impression, but there's no thinking of any kind going on, implied or otherwise. They're simply reacting to the environment. Faster than expected, which is fun and neat, but not to the point where there's even a big air quotes "thought" happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Best Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 15 minutes ago, Xbob42 said: No, they're not. At all. Who said that? How did you get that from this? There's a lot of anthropomorphic language here that might give the wrong impression, but there's no thinking of any kind going on, implied or otherwise. They're simply reacting to the environment. Faster than expected, which is fun and neat, but not to the point where there's even a big air quotes "thought" happening. lol I was joking. Yikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbob42 Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 3 minutes ago, best3444 said: lol I was joking. Yikes. Oh. Sorry. I'm used to jokes having a punchline or something. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Best Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 2 minutes ago, Xbob42 said: Oh. Sorry. I'm used to jokes having a punchline or something. I didn't know you took plants this seriously. Sorry. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbob42 Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 Just now, best3444 said: I didn't know you took plants this seriously. Sorry. It's less that, and more "people anthropomorphizing natural processes into intended actions and then using it to make wild ass claims (usually religion-based)" is having a resurgence right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Best Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 10 minutes ago, Xbob42 said: It's less that, and more "people anthropomorphizing natural processes into intended actions and then using it to make wild ass claims (usually religion-based)" is having a resurgence right now. You're reading into my post way too much. Good lord I obviously know plants don't think nor am I really amazed that nature is adapting to change. Relax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nokra Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 Plant Jesus is real, you goddamn heathens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbob42 Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 8 minutes ago, best3444 said: You're reading into my post way too much. Good lord I obviously know plants don't think nor am I really amazed that nature is adapting to change. Relax. I wasn't talking about your post anymore. I was speaking generally. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reputator Posted December 21, 2023 Share Posted December 21, 2023 I knew he was joking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted December 21, 2023 Share Posted December 21, 2023 7 hours ago, Xbob42 said: There's a lot of anthropomorphic language here that might give the wrong impression, but there's no thinking of any kind going on, implied or otherwise. They're simply reacting to the environment. Faster than expected, which is fun and neat, but not to the point where there's even a big air quotes "thought" happening. 7 hours ago, Xbob42 said: It's less that, and more "people anthropomorphizing natural processes into intended actions and then using it to make wild ass claims (usually religion-based)" is having a resurgence right now. Spoken like someone who's never wanted to bone a Tsareena before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbob42 Posted December 21, 2023 Share Posted December 21, 2023 Tsareena has no thoughts, which makes everything you do to it morally and legally okay. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unogueen Posted December 23, 2023 Share Posted December 23, 2023 Self pollination already happens enough. Problem is monoculture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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