Plants recognise their siblings
"Plants are able to recognise their siblings, according
to a study appearing today in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters." http://pressesc.com/01181755074_plan...gnise_siblings |
Plants recognise their siblings
On Jun 13, 4:54 pm, Robert Lorenzini
wrote: "Plants are able to recognise their siblings, according to a study appearing today in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters." http://pressesc.com/01181755074_plan...gnise_siblings Interesting: The actual study is right he http://www.pubs.royalsoc.ac.uk/media...BL20070232.pdf I didn't read it. Specifically regarding orchid seedlings in community pots, I observe those planted in the same community pot do not share the resources evenly. I have always observed the contrary: when three to five siblings from the same capsule are planted in compot inevitably one or two grow rapidly larger and more vigorously while one or two lag behind to the point of being crowded to death. When the larger siblings are removed from the community pots and the smaller ones are regrouped into similar sized grouping and replanted into compots, inevitably one or more of them suddenly grows larger and starts crowding out others. I don't know how these little guys decide who gets bullied and who starves, but I don't see an even sharing of resources at all. Perhaps some seedlings are better able to utilize what resources they get than others in the same pot... On the other hand I have never tried mixing seedlings from different parents into the same community pot to study their response. I am not sure it is correct to anthropomorphize the apparent result of this data. Some species of plants in general produce chemicals that inhibit the growth of unrelated species around them; this is a survival mechanism, not a social behavior. Many plants produce chemicals that inhibit the growth of any other plant nearby...even relatives. Look up juglone. (I always thought it was spelled and pronounced jugulone; as in jugular because it strangles the growth of nearby plants.) Black walnut trees are the usually cited example. But many plants make this chemical and others chemicals that have the same effect. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juglone |
Plants recognise their siblings
Al,
I agree. I am constantly having to get out of bed at night to go outside and break up fights in the compots. Mick HBI, Producers of Fine Orchids in Flask www.OrchidFlask.com |
Plants recognise their siblings
On Jun 13, 5:50 pm, wrote:
when three to five siblings from the same capsule are planted in compot inevitably one or two grow rapidly larger and more vigorously while one or two lag behind to the point of being crowded to death. When the larger siblings are removed from the community pots and the smaller ones are regrouped into similar sized grouping and replanted into compots, inevitably one or more of them suddenly grows larger and starts crowding out others. this happens in my pots of baby amaryllii also. --j_a |
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