Plant ecologist Ken Thompson looks at some of the intriguing \u2013 and often less than obvious \u2013 ways in which plants have adapted to survive and thrive. Illustrations by Jill Calder <\/p>
We can all agree that plants are beautiful<\/a>. But what is much less obvious is that they\u2019re also resourceful, adaptable and, above all, smart. For example, they can measure exactly how much carbon dioxide \u2013 a chemical compound that us mere mortals can neither see, taste nor smell \u2013 is in the atmosphere. Not only that, but they can also then respond accordingly; in fact, old herbarium<\/a> specimens show that plants noticed rising carbon dioxide levels long before we ever did. Another example: seeds<\/a> in the soil can measure changing temperature and use that information to check how deeply buried they are, and what\u2019s growing above them. Finally, they put all that information together to decide whether or not it\u2019s a good idea to germinate.<\/p> You may also like<\/strong><\/p> Effortless efficiency<\/strong><\/p> Plants do all that, and a lot more, without lifting a finger, which makes it easy for the dim-witted observer (that is, me and you) to assume that they\u2019re not doing very much. You can begin to see why, when the science fiction writer John Wyndham wanted to conjure up a plant that would really make people sit up and take notice, he was forced (in his 1951 novel The Day of the Triffids<\/a><\/em>) to invent a carnivorous giant that could walk around.<\/p> In fact, although plants are clever, their cleverness is so unlike human intelligence that we simply fail to recognise it. If we deny that plants are intelligent, all we really mean is that they aren\u2019t like us \u2013 and I do wonder if we would recognise a really alien intelligence if we tripped over it.<\/p> Lightbulb moment<\/strong><\/p> Sometimes it\u2019s obvious that plants are up to something, but much less easy to tell exactly what. For example, most species of Primula<\/a><\/em>, including our familiar native primrose, Primula<\/em> vulgaris<\/em>, show a condition known in botanical jargon as heterostyly. Some primrose plants have a long style, with the receptive stigma at the top of the petal tube and the stamens half-way down the tube. These plants are called \u2018pin-eyed\u2019. Others, with the stigma half-way down the tube and the stamens at the top, are known as \u2018thrum-eyed\u2019. The two kinds of plants are easily distinguished once you get your eye in.<\/p> Although plants are clever, their cleverness is so unlike human intelligence that we simply fail to recognise it. If we deny that plants are intelligent, all we really mean is that they aren\u2019t like us<\/p><\/blockquote> Where there\u2019s a will, there\u2019s a way<\/strong><\/p> It took a lot longer to figure out the purpose of another bit of seemingly pointless floral variation. In plants with enantiostyly (derived from enantios<\/em>, the Greek word for opposite), which is a kind of \u2018sideways heterostyly\u2019, the style is deflected to either the left or the right. So once again there are two morphs and, if you put them side by side, they look like mirror images.<\/p> Just like heterostyly, enantiostyly acts as a mechanism to prevent or reduce self-pollination. \u2018Handedness\u2019 of flowers works because left- and right-handed morphs place most of their pollen on different sides of a visiting bee, where it\u2019s in the right place to be transferred to the stigma of the other morph.<\/p> Enantiostyly has evolved independently on several occasions, but remains uncommon. Sadly, I must tell you that nothing with enantiostyly is hardy enough to grow outdoors in the UK. But houseplant<\/a> enthusiasts don\u2019t have to go far to see it \u2013 all species of African violet <\/a>(formerly known botanically as Saintpaulia<\/em>, but now reclassified<\/a> into the genus Streptocarpus<\/em>) have enantiostylous flowers.<\/p> Plant ecologist Ken Thompson looks at some of the intriguing \u2013 and often less than obvious \u2013 ways in which plants have adapted to survive and thrive. 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