A small herb called Fritillaria delavayi may be the first example of a threatened plant evolving to blend into its surroundings
,” to test how easily camouflaged plants could be found. When volunteers were asked to identifyamong rocks and dirt, it took them longer to locate specimens with measurably less vibrant color.
“We’ve known that for thousands of years humans have shaped the way plants look through domestication, the way we breed plants for food,” Rubin adds. “This is a really great example of human-mediated selection in the wild, documenting a change and pretty convincingly relating that change to a human pressure, in this case harvesting.”
Jill Anderson, a biologist at the University of Georgia, sees the paper’s conclusion as a “tantalizing hypothesis,” but says for her to be convinced that it’s humans causing this camouflage, she’ll need to see further proof. “Certainly there might be other things contributing to this change—weather or elevation, or an herbivore they didn’t happen to see,” says Rubin. “But the relationship [between harvest pressure and color] was quite strong—the populations with strong harvest pressure had the closest match to the background.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Human Evolution in the Modern AgeHumans are still evolving, and modern technology and culture both play a role.
Read more »
Jeremy Giambi, former Oakland Athletics player, has diedFormer Oakland A's slugger Jeremy Giambi has died, the team said Wednesday.
Read more »
Former MLB player Jeremy Giambi found dead at age 47Jeremy Giambi played with the A's, Phillies, Red Sox and Royals in a six-year career.
Read more »
Swordfish With Asparagus and BeansSpring (as in asparagus, white beans, and tons of herb and lemons) in a skillet—with tender swordfish to make it a satisfying meal.
Read more »
Kanye West, Julia Fox are in an open relationship: They’re ‘evolved beings’“Their bond transcends typical norms because they’re evolved beings who just want each other to be happy,” a source close to Fox tells Page Six.
Read more »