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As global insect populations collapse, plants are evolving to self-pollinate

CitizenVectron
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CitizenVectron

CitizenVectron

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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

 

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"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.

 

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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.

 

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  • CitizenVectron changed the title to As global insect populations collapse, plants are evolving to self-pollinate
skillzdadirecta

skillzdadirecta

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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? 

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Mr.Vic20

Mr.Vic20

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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! :sun:

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Reputator

Reputator

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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.

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Xbob42

Xbob42

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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.

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best3444

best3444

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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. 

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Xbob42

Xbob42

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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.

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best3444

best3444

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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. 

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Keyser_Soze

Keyser_Soze

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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. :talkhand:

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