|
Some of these posts are very old and might contain outdated information. You may wish to search for newer posts instead.
|
Mostly_Harmless
wyrd bið ful aræd



Registered: 05/12/09
Posts: 5,043
Loc: Perfidious Albion
|
First ever “werewolf plant” that relies on lunar cycle discovered (Ephedra foeminea) 1
#21491587 - 04/02/15 09:41 AM (8 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
First ever “werewolf plant” that relies on lunar cycle discovered
by Ravi Mandalia in Science — 2 Apr, 2015

University of Stockholm have discovered a new plant dubbed Ephedra foeminea that relies on lunar cycle for its survival through pollination.
Otherwise dubbed as an ugly shrub, the Ephedra foeminiea acts as a sort of wereplant, transforming itself into a fertile mass of bright red and yellow cones. This species of plants is a non-flowering relative of conifers and according to researchers it secretes globules of sugary liquid on nights when there is a full moon in a bid to attract nocturnal pollinating insects.
Using these droplets, the plant absorbs any pollen carried by pollinators including moths and flies that land on the plant and uses them to fertilise its seeds. Researchers believe that the plant relies on moonlight as the light causes reflection from the sugary liquid which catch the attention of the insects.
Catarina Rydin, a botanist at the University of Stockholm and one of the researchers behind the discovery, revealed that other plants in this species arose about 130 million years ago in the Early Cretaceous and they would have likely served as dinosaur food.
Based on fossil records, Rydin suspects that Ephedra might have saved itself from extinction by shifting from a predominantly insect-pollinated system to one dependent on wind notes smithsonian.com.
“Historically, climate change has occurred repeatedly, not least in the aftermath of the meteorite impact 65 million years ago, and wind-pollination may have been a safer method to ensure reproduction during such times,” she says. “It is thus possible that insect-pollinated species of Ephedra had a greater risk of becoming extinct.”
In a bid to better understand the evolution of these plants and how they reproduce, Rydin along with her doctoral student, Kristina Bolinder, headed to Greece, to count insects and keep an eye out for pollen droplets. E. foeminea’s pollination methods were elusive and even after those cones appeared, they didn’t open and hence wind based pollination wasn’t the one the likely candidate.
“Based on four seasons of field studies, we show an unexpected correlation between pollination and the phases of the moon in one of our studied species, Ephedra foeminea”, reads the abstract of the study published in Biology Letters. “It is pollinated by dipterans and lepidopterans, most of them nocturnal, and its pollination coincides with the full moon of July.”
A connection between E. foeminiea’s pollination and lunar cycle – something that started off as a joke one evening – started becoming more of a plausible scenario and researchers found evidence that this was in fact the case.
Researchers reveal that the soft light of the full moon revealed droplets of pollen, which were shimmering and sparkling on the brightly colored cones. This glittering, researchers reveal, is possibly to attract insects including the flies and moths.
Though light from a half-moon is sufficient to illuminate the pollen, the plant maximises its efficiency during a full moon as it is present almost throughout the night and insects have a full night to navigate using the moon.
|
kactus.brand.g
Registered: 08/22/14
Posts: 6,886
Last seen: 6 years, 11 months
|
Re: First ever “werewolf plant” that relies on lunar cycle discovered (Ephedra foeminea) [Re: Mostly_Harmless]
#21491825 - 04/02/15 10:44 AM (8 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
Now this is absolutely amazing
|
ferrel_human
stone eater



Registered: 06/26/09
Posts: 16,359
Loc: Texas
|
Re: First ever “werewolf plant” that relies on lunar cycle discovered (Ephedra foeminea) [Re: kactus.brand.g]
#21491874 - 04/02/15 10:57 AM (8 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
What a truly remarkable plant. Evolution at it's finest.
-------------------- Nature is my church and walking through it is gospel. It tells no lies and reveals all to those who look, and listen, closely. -Karode
 Looking for Mimosa tenuiflora seeds. Buttons for trade
|
NarkedAt90ft
Deep in the Blue Abyss



Registered: 12/04/13
Posts: 149
Loc: Marianas Trench
|
Re: First ever “werewolf plant” that relies on lunar cycle discovered (Ephedra foeminea) [Re: ferrel_human]
#21492095 - 04/02/15 11:51 AM (8 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
Very cool,
Thanks for the read.
-------------------- ni·tro·gen nar·co·sis noun - a drowsy state induced by breathing air under higher than atmospheric pressure, for example, in deep-sea diving. Also known as Rapture of The Deep. Let's Trade!
|
karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
|
Re: First ever “werewolf plant” that relies on lunar cycle discovered (Ephedra foeminea) [Re: NarkedAt90ft]
#21493533 - 04/02/15 06:28 PM (8 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
Interesting read. Plants are always doing strange things in order to preserve its species.
Had the Munster's theme song in my head while reading it too.
|
MadBotanist


Registered: 11/23/14
Posts: 279
Loc: Wonderland
|
Re: First ever “werewolf plant” that relies on lunar cycle discovered (Ephedra foeminea) [Re: karode13]
#21495214 - 04/03/15 04:36 AM (8 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
Nice, and it's Ephedra too... wonder if it contains ephedrine? Would love to add some to my collection regardless.
|
Mostly_Harmless
wyrd bið ful aræd



Registered: 05/12/09
Posts: 5,043
Loc: Perfidious Albion
|
Re: First ever “werewolf plant” that relies on lunar cycle discovered (Ephedra foeminea) [Re: MadBotanist]
#21495217 - 04/03/15 04:38 AM (8 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are phenylpropylamino alkaloids widely used in modern medicine. Some Ephedra species such as E. sinica Stapf (Ephedraceae), a widely used Chinese medicinal plant (Chinese name: Ma Huang), accumulate ephedrine alkaloids as active constituents. Other Ephedra species, such as E. foeminea Forssk. (syn. E. campylopoda C.A. Mey) lack ephedrine alkaloids and their postulated metabolic precursors 1-phenylpropane-1,2-dione and (S)-cathinone.
Benzaldehyde is a precursor of phenylpropylamino alkaloids as revealed by targeted metabolic profiling and comparative biochemical analyses in Ephedra spp.
|
MadBotanist


Registered: 11/23/14
Posts: 279
Loc: Wonderland
|
Re: First ever “werewolf plant” that relies on lunar cycle discovered (Ephedra foeminea) [Re: Mostly_Harmless]
#21495221 - 04/03/15 04:42 AM (8 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
Great link, it's too bad though. Pubmeds great ^.^
|
Lemnaminor
Lophophora - eyed



Registered: 11/13/13
Posts: 1,366
Loc: Sicily
Last seen: 2 months, 25 days
|
Re: First ever “werewolf plant” that relies on lunar cycle discovered (Ephedra foeminea) [Re: MadBotanist]
#21495350 - 04/03/15 06:24 AM (8 years, 10 months ago) |
|
|
--------------------
      "The best things in life, come covered in spines."
|
|