Fight for Survival
Popular nature documentaries feature dramatic fights for survival. “Jaws and claws” scenes boost ratings, but routine survival is more about devouring….greens.
Insects—like good children—eat their veggies. And plants don’t run away fighting for their life. No conflict or drama. Very bad for ratings!
Sure, there are plenty of insect predators. Mantids are vicious killers. Ladybugs devour aphids. Spiders consume 400 to 800 tons of insects each year.
But most insects get most of their calories from plants.
Plants do fight back, but the fight happens in S L O W motion.
Plants have evolved toxins. It’s not a coincidence that medicines and poisons come from plants. Or that the plants that we like to eat were selected over eons for their less bitter taste until—nearly defenseless—they could not survive on their own. That type of care and human selection—vs. natural selection—is called agriculture.
Some insects are specialized eaters. They’ve evolved resistance to select plant toxins and thrive by eating what would kill other creatures.
Monarchs are so specialized that the only food a monarch caterpillar can eat is milkweed.
Specialization makes adaptive sense when a food source is abundant. But common Milkweed isn’t common anymore. And that’s one of many reasons why monarch populations are plummeting.
The milkweed toxin (a steroid that can lead to cardiac arrest) builds up in the monarch caterpillar as it munches away. A bird that pecks on a monarch immediately tastes the nasty toxin and knows to never bother it again.
The store of toxin is preserved during metamorphosis. The monarch butterfly’s bright orange markings signal to birds that they’ll get a mouthful of poison if they were to take a bite.
This type of co-evolution between plants and insects and birds has been going on ….since there have been plants and insects and birds.
Look closely and you’ll witness slow-motion fights for survival everywhere, not just in monarchs.
Hello, I enjoy reading through your article post.
I like to write a little comment to support you.
My website: Nannie
Thanks for reading, Nannie! I appreciate your support.
—Sarah
Really good post. I absolutely appreciate this site.
Continue the good work!
Also visit my webpage: college ruled notebook paper size
Thanks for the encouragement…I need it!
I seriously love your web site.. Great colors & theme.
Would you build this amazing site yourself? Please reply back as I’m seeking to create my personal website and want to learn in which you
got this from or just what the theme is named.
Thanks!
My web page :: productivity
Thanks for the compliment! The free theme builder is Bard. All the images are my own. Nice Etsy site; the stickers are super cute.