Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Tuesday April 29 2014, @09:46AM   Printer-friendly
from the hiding-from-Tarzan dept.

A woody vine, Boquila trifoliolata, has been discovered in Chile that has the amazing ability to change the shape of its leaves depending on what tree it is climbing. Further, the same single vine can drape different species of tree, and it will match the shape and size of its leaves to those of each host, but only along that portion of its length.

Other vines are known to mimic one species of host, as a defense against herbivores, but this vine can mimic many, along its length. Biologists say "It is unclear how B. trifoliolata vines discern the identity of individual trees and shape-shift accordingly." Speculation is that chemicals or microbes might trigger gene-activating signals that trigger leaf differentiation. But left unsaid is how the vine would "learn" how to match the shape of its new host's leaf, how it would know it had succeeded, where it would acquire the genes to do so, and how many different trees it can mimic.

Wouldn't you need eyes to do that?

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 1) by cliffjumper222 on Tuesday April 29 2014, @05:49PM

    by cliffjumper222 (2628) on Tuesday April 29 2014, @05:49PM (#37762)

    I wonder if the vine is able to use or hijack the host plant's DNA to make its leaves. In that case, the vine doesn't need to identify the host per se, it just needs to use whatever DNA the host has.

    --
    He who dares wins, Rodney
  • (Score: 2) by Bokononist on Wednesday April 30 2014, @01:13AM

    by Bokononist (3013) on Wednesday April 30 2014, @01:13AM (#37943)

    Exactly that, we perceive that the only way to copy is by sight because that is our own experience, there are many ways to mimic and I'm quite sure that our human experience gives us but a few. There is a wonderful quote from Dune; 'What senses do I lack that I cannot perceive another world around me', or something along those lines.

    --
    Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before.