IF DARWIN'S THEORY OF EVOLUTION HAS TAUGHT US ANYTHING,
IT'S
THAT PLANTS EXISTED LONG BEFORE ANIMALS.
THEY MUST HAVE RELIED UPON THE WIND AND
WATER TO SPREAD THEIR SEEDS, HOPEFULLY
ENSURING THE SURVIVAL OF THEIR SPECIES.
SO, OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS, THROUGH HIT AND MISS 'EXPERIMENTATION',
SOME PLANTS DEVELOPED CLEVER WAYS OF SPREADING THEIR SEEDS FURTHER:
SHAPING THEIR SEED-PODS LIKE PARACHUTES FOR FURTHER FREE-FALL OR LIKE
BOATS FOR FLOATING ON WATER.
THEIR MAIN FAILING THOUGH, I SUPPOSE,
WAS THAT ALMOST ALL OF THEM WERE TETHERED TO THE SPOT, AND THUS OVER
MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF YEARS, ANIMALS
DEVELOPED.
THIS WAS EVOLUTION AT WORK: A PAINFULLY
SLOW AND TEDIOUSLY GRADUAL PROCESS.
IN REACTION TO ANIMALS, (THESE WACKY
NEW 'SEED DISTRIBUTION UNITS'), PLANTS DEVELOPED NEW TRICKS TO ENSURE
THE SURVIVAL OF THEIR SPECIES: THERE WAS NO POINT IN FLOWERS HAVING
BRIGHTLY COLOURED PETALS OR DELICIOUSLY FLAVOURED NECTAR BEFORE INSECTS
WERE AROUND. TRUE OR FALSE?
LATER, AS THE ANIMALS GREW LARGER, PLANTS DEVELOPED FRUITS AND NUTS
TO ATTRACT THEM.
AGAIN, WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE POINT OF SAY, AN AVOCADO TREE, HAVING
SUCH LARGE FRUITS, BEFORE THERE WERE ANIMALS BIG ENOUGH TO EAT IT
WHOLE AND CART THE PIP OFF TO SOME OTHER AREA, AND
CRAP IT OUT?
HOW MANY SPECIES OF PLANT HAVE BEEN LOST BECAUSE THEY FAILED TO DEVELOP
GOOD ENOUGH ADVERTISING AND DISTRIBUTION?
IF WE COULD VIEW A LEAGUE TABLE FOR THE LAST BILLION YEARS,
WHAT PLANTS WOULD HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY NEAR THE TOP?
PROBABLY NOTHING BUT THE SIMPLEST, THAT GOT IT RIGHT FIRST TIME:
ALGAE; KELP; GRASS AND MOSS?
OTHERWISE THE TABLE WOULD HAVE CHANGED CONTINUALLY, AS CLEVER NEW
TRICKS WERE DEVELOPED:
IN THE SHORT TIME MAN HAS BEEN AROUND, THERE MUST HAVE BEEN PLENTY
OF NEW ENTRIES: WHAT WERE THE CHANCES FOR FRUITS LIKE AVOCADOS, THAT
WERE ONLY EVER PLUCKED BY RELATIVELY FEW ANIMALS BEFORE MAN TOOK A
LIKING TO THEM AND STARTED PLANTING THEIR SEEDS IN NEAT ROWS? NOW
THEY ARE GROWN WORLD-WIDE AND WILL NEVER FADE FROM THE SECOND
DIVISION.
THE SAME IS TRUE FOR POTATOES, WHEAT AND RICE THAT HAVE BEEN
FARMED AND DISTRIBUTED EVERYWHERE SINCE BEFORE RECORDED HISTORY AND
HAVE ESTABLISHED THEMSELVES AS PERMANENT OCCUPANTS OF THE PREMIERE
DIVISION.
BUT WHAT OF THE NEWEST ENTRIES SINCE CIVILIZATION CHANGED THE WORLD?
IF THIS LINE OF THINKING IS CORRECT, WHICH PLANTS ARE USURPING THE
CHAMPIONS BY DEVELOPING NEW TRICKS TO MAKE THEMSELVES MORE ATTRACTIVE
TO MAN?
WHAT PLANTS ARE MASS PRODUCED AND DEMAND STILL OUTSTRIPS SUPPLY? WHAT
PLANTS ARE FOUGHT OVER BECAUSE THEY'RE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN GOLD? WHAT
PLANTS HAVE MADE THEMSELVES SO DAMN ATTRACTIVE THAT SOME PEOPLE WILL
PUT THEIR CONSUMPTION ABOVE FOOD?
I THINK WE KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION.
PERSONALLY, I BLAME THE PLANTS
ANDY SPARROW
WHAT DO YOU THINK? PLEASE VOTE BY CLICKING BELOW: IT'LL
ONLY TAKE A SECOND.
IS THIS
BOLLOCKS OR A REASONABLY
LOGICAL IDEA?
THE VOTES SO FAR UP TO 1st APRIL 2004
: 2890 - LOGICAL 1170 - BOLLOCKS
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