Plants and Pollinators Falling Out of Sync

http://www.futurity.org/earth-environment/plants-and-pollinators-falling-out-of-sync/
Diana Lutz-Futurity
March 1, 2013

Summary

               Biologists are now discovering that the bond between the plants and their pollinators are becoming more weak. Studies show that they are much weaker than what they were 100 years ago. They suspect this to be an effect of climate change and habitat loss. Nearly half the bees are left that pollinate certain flowers, each carrying even less pollen that is effective in pollinating that certain flower. This is a big factor as to how flowers are able to reproduce. Other factors in this decrease in the bond are the timing. Studies show that some flowers are blooming nine days earlier while the bees are coming out in a substantially different time. This therefore decreases the amount of time they are able to interact and ultimately making them "fall out of sync" as the title implies. Although these connections may be affected, their methods are flexible and can be replaced by new ones.

Connection

                 This article connects to our curriculum because it talks about plants. It also talks heavily about how certain plants reproduce, by pollination, which is what we have been learning in the past chapter. This also has other connections such as animals, the bees. The process of pollination and fertilization in plants, even blooming times, tie directly to our biology unit.

Different reproductive methods lead to different defense systems in plants

Jack Billings
http://www.futurity.org/science-technology/sex-life-of-plants-can-alter-their-defenses/
Published: February 25, 2013
Source: futurity.org
Author: Krishna Ramanujan

Summary:
Recent studies have shown that the evolution of a plant’s defense system is tied to the method the plant uses to mate. Some plants self-fertilize or mate with relatives (inbreeders) while others mate with non-relatives (outcrossers). Researchers have found that these two types of mating styles have caused very different defense strategies to evolve. Inbreeders’ defense systems do not become activated until after their leaves have been eaten or damaged. The defense systems of outcrossing species however, are always turned on. One reason for a defense system that only activates when needed could be that inbreeders often colonize new areas where they have little to no predators and, therefore, do not need the defense. The reason inbreeders have an advantage for colonizing new areas is that they do not require a large population to reproduce because they can self-fertilize or breed with their relatives. The inbreeders that had their defense systems turned on all the time were wasting energy and were therefore outcompeted (through natural selection) by those who only turned their defenses on when necessary. On the other hand, outcrossers colonizing new areas is much more rare, (because of their need for a large population to reproduce) so they constantly need to defend against herbivores and parasites that could hurt them. Because of this, they have developed defense systems that are on at all times.

Connection:
This connects to our study of plants and evolution because it discusses how one aspect of a plant may have affected the evolution of another. More specifically, it connects to the different methods of reproduction, and the different defense systems. It explains that the methods of reproduction of different plants have (over time) determined the way the plants defend themselves, and it discusses how these defense systems are adaptations.