How flowering plants beat the competition
Posted on November 14, 2006 Comments (2)
How flowering plants beat out the competition on ancient earth:
Seed-bearing plants also figured out better ways to get around. Some seeds sprout improbably elaborate barbs in order to snag a lift on passing animals. A significant number hitch a ride by growing a morsel called a elaiosome that entices ants to carry them off a few feet. Other seeds are textured or buoyant, so they can float away on wind or water.
The human appetite for seeds has resulted in new forms of dispersal as well. Thousands of years ago, people began collecting and cultivating nutrient-rich seeds, like corn, lentils, and oats, for food.
Related: What Are Flowers For? – Artic Seed Vault – Seeds, a new book
2 Responses to “How flowering plants beat the competition”
Leave a Reply
RSS Feed
December 10th, 2006 @ 12:32 pm
“Fungi, on the other hand, are fundamentally alien…
Some lurk in the Earth, spreading out over hundreds of acres. Others live inside insects, forcing them to climb to the tip of a blade of grass, so that they can shower their spores down on new victims….”
July 21st, 2008 @ 10:33 am
[…] Vega Science Lectures: Feynman and More – How flowering plants beat the competition – What Are Flowers For? by curiouscat Tags: Podcast, Students Permalink to: […]