"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

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

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

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