WTF Fun Fact – Plant Evolves Camouflage

Researchers have found the Fritillaria delavayi plant, which has been used for 2,000 years in Chinese traditional medicine, has evolved camouflage in heavily harvested areas. The plant camouflage seems to have evolved in response to people, as the regions that experience greater harvesting pressure are more camouflaged than other areas. – WTF Fun Facts

Source: A medicinal plant has evolved camouflage in heavily picked areas | Science News


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5 thoughts on “WTF Fun Fact – Plant Evolves Camouflage”

  1. They don’t. That wouldn’t be how evolution works. If they knew, how their surroundings look like and willful change themselves to blend in, that would be adaptation.
    Evolution is, when there are random mutations in the genom, that raise the likelyhood to survive. In this case there had been a mutation, with which the flower changed its colour from green with yellow blossom to somewhat greyish-brown. And since they were/are harder to spot for the harvesters, they have significantly better chances of survival.

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  2. Just got ends up being natural selection. The browner ones blend in better so the brighter ones are picked first. Over time, more browner ones are left and pollinate additional browner ones, and after several cycles of this the trait becomes more noticeable and the bright ones that were easily spotted are all gone because they’ve been harvested.

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