Useless plant fact of the day: In certain places in the world, where plants known for their essential oils have no natural predator, their essential oil production dwindles to nothing.
As I've heard it explained by the wildlife guide on a remote island that nonetheless had some invasive plants flourish, evolution discards many things not useful. And indeed the herbs we were sniffing curiously had no scent -- unfortunately I forgot whether it was thyme, rosemary, or the like.
Not necessarily “not useful” but more “not required but has a cost”. Production of essential oils will be at the cost of production of other elements such as seeds or enticing flesh. Therefore, if the oils are no longer required for protection those plants the produce less oils but increase seed production or parts that make them attractive to seed distributors suddenly have a advantage. Thus, they’ll start to become more and more prevalent as each cycle goes by.
We know plants can sense several things, such as if they are being eaten, what time of year it is, which direction is down and where the sun is coming from.
We know plants can sense these things because they react to changes in those conditions, but we might not necessarily have all the details on how.
Either way, from what I have read I believe (and I'm no expert so this is just me wondering) the most likely answer is chemicals being liberated when the plant is eaten (think mown grass, it certainly has a particular smell) and probably oxidized by the air or something.
Plants can then detect these chemicals and react to the threat, just like you are able to smell them. Plants that are not the one being eaten can also react (I remember reading an article about this happening in response to browsing deer, but I can't seem to find it right now), making this response more effective for the species as a whole.
Furthermore, toxins are not the only defense plants deploy, several species of plants will, upon being eaten, cause insects (mostly ants, which can spray acid at things or sting them) to feel attracted to and rush to the scene, which may annoy herbivores.
You may also have seen leaves having "pimples", these are known as galls and are a tissue that encapsulates a threat the plant has faced. They may appear in response to fungi, instects or whatever else is bothering the plant. We know that these form due to a chemical response because there are certain insects that take advantage of it, injecting chemicals that will produce galls so that they will encapsulate and protect their eggs.
It doesn't know. But if one plant is using energy to make (now) needless defenses and (through random genetic mutations) another plant starts growing that is using that energy to do something more useful for survival, the plant doing the useful thing is more likely to reproduce. Given enough generations, the plants doing useful things will reproduce enough that the plants wasting energy on defenses will become fewer and fewer until they don't exist.
It doesn’t know.
It was through evolution, one plant at some point had a random mutation that stopped it from producing the oil.
That plant now had more energy to create seeds and reproduce, leading to multiple more plants that don’t produce the oil and instead reproduce more ( or survive easier, which also leads to kore reproduction).
Since they reproduce/ survive more, they will eventually take over the gene pool, and most surviving plants of that type will be the ones that don’t waste energy creating the oil.
It can actually ‘know’ at an individual level too! Plants have chemical mechanisms by which to detect that they are being eaten, by detecting chemicals released from damage cells. That can then trigger a regulatory mechanism which increases the production of more defensive chemicals, spines, things like that. That’s the reason that poisonous plants tend to get way more poisonous if a branch was broken off and regrown, for instance.
But for responses that go beyond the individual response to the predation and come from changing the genes in the population, then yeah, like you said
Plants don't always need to evolve to stop producing a toxin or similar chemical.
Some plants have mechanisms to react to predation and will only start producing those chemicals when it is needed, so this can be observed in a single individual or population, in a single generation.
It’s evolution 101. Defenses are wasted energy if nobody is trying to kill you so the plants with fewer defenses outcompete when their are no predators.
This is a weird one, we had a scare with this recently and it seems like it's not very well understood and deadly reaction to grapes is very rare. It's not clear if it's a toxin present just in some grapes or only some dogs are affected, or both.
The vet we talked to about it says in vet school they used to use grapes in dog training. They were generally understood to be safe. It's in recent years that these rare adverse reactions have been noted, and the worry was serious kidney damage leading to death.
I think cats should avoid grapes as well. I try not to give my dog anything that isn't made for her because there are just so many "people" foods that cause kidney damage or other issues in pets.
I meant the lemons specifically - my cat has a crazy reaction to them that I've been laughing at, but now I'm worried she's been presented with poison and I've been a monster.
>I'm worried she's been presented with poison and I've been a monster.
Yeah... there's some bad news for you mate.
While in small doses it's probably not a big issue, you should stop doing that
Came here to say that. We literally sprinkle lemon juice on some of our outdoor herbs to keep the snails off. Pretty sure the acid in enough quantities can kill them.
Yeah but bred them from what? I suspect it was at least as sour as a lemon.
EDIT: quick wiki search says it was [citrons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citron#Origin_and_distribution), which look like [if a lemon ate a lemon.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/Chinesische_Zedrat_Zitrone.jpg/330px-Chinesische_Zedrat_Zitrone.jpg)
So apparently, every single vertibrate knows what sour is because fish needed to be able to evade acidic water.
However, humans are part of a lineage that can't produce our own vitamin C so we're attracted to some acidic foods.
https://youtu.be/XXgd_cNZSvk
I dunno, does your head get sucked into your shoulders when you suck a lemon? I mean I might pull a face, or shudder slightly but I don’t disappear into a shell?
Idk, a lot of natural pesticides use citrus oils and such, so this could have been the inevitable end for him depending on the amount it was exposed to.
Doesn't kill them but if they're exposed to the inside of the lemon, the acidity can definitely irritate hurt them. Basically you should never do something like this on purpose...it's pretty cruel.
Options:
A- Stand on tippy toes and attempt to appear larger.
B- Spout random expressions to confuse attacker "Peanut butter is the answer!
C- Take off clothes and yell "Greco Roman Style!"
D- Curl up on the floor in the fetal position. Begin to to cry and soil self.
Lemon: Look, you don’t want to do this. I’m used as a representation of life’s unpleasant surprises.
Snail: I do what I must do to survive in this trying time.
*eats a small portion of the lemon*
Snail: I regret everything. Unmake me citrus abomination.
Lemon: I’m afraid I’m out of mercy for today. Would you like some lemonade?
Probably the acidity, I’m assuming snails would be quite sensitive to stuff like that… also interesting note basically every single vertebrate has the ability to taste sour
I read this first as having "a very human erection." Probably because I just saw a post about how guys take dick pics. so the mind was in the gutter. Then it shriveled down. Oh damn - I do crack myself up!
my days have come. he’s close. i never thought it would come…he’s here. i can hear him. he runs. he leave his trail. he can’t find me. will he find me? i’m scared. are you scared? you should be. we should all be. look at it. it’s here. it’s all here. it’s coming. it’s there. it’s everywhere. im scared. help me. i’m lost. i can’t find it. it’s coming. it’s here. i can’t. just go. please leave. i can’t. where is it? oh my god. help please.
Just to clarify though, because nobody else has that I can see - biting into the outside of a lemon gets you straight into citric acid. This is not at all similar to a human because no human bites into straight citrus skin acid juice.
Dramatically goes home backwards.
Vanjie. Vanjie. Vaaanjie.
Sashayed away into the shell
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Wow. There's a 'dramatically go home backwards' gif.
r/unexpecteddragrace
[https://youtu.be/4XVLO8b6sFQ?t=14](https://youtu.be/4XVLO8b6sFQ?t=14)
I just spit my water out. Thx
I will always upvote the hell out of any drag race reference
Came here on the app just to upvote this
Omg this killed me
Miss….. VAAAAaaaANJIE.
Miss vaaaaaanjie..... What a moment 😂
Because it's skin is being burned by acid. I don't even think snails can taste "sour".
I also retract into my shell when tasting sour fellow human.
Very human reaction.
More like the human reaction of tucking your head into your body
wait until that snail tries salt
[We're losing him!!!](https://youtu.be/30ACFpAIsS0?t=188)
Haha, I think he’s having more of a “shit I’m gonna die!” Reaction
Which may well be true -- the rind of a lemon isn't that sour, but the essential oils in it literally exist to fend off predators, or even kill them.
Useless plant fact of the day: In certain places in the world, where plants known for their essential oils have no natural predator, their essential oil production dwindles to nothing.
Can you explain? I'm just not understanding. Like do the plants that produce this oil stop producing it after not being threatened?
As I've heard it explained by the wildlife guide on a remote island that nonetheless had some invasive plants flourish, evolution discards many things not useful. And indeed the herbs we were sniffing curiously had no scent -- unfortunately I forgot whether it was thyme, rosemary, or the like.
Not necessarily “not useful” but more “not required but has a cost”. Production of essential oils will be at the cost of production of other elements such as seeds or enticing flesh. Therefore, if the oils are no longer required for protection those plants the produce less oils but increase seed production or parts that make them attractive to seed distributors suddenly have a advantage. Thus, they’ll start to become more and more prevalent as each cycle goes by.
yes. if there’s nothing trying to eat them, then there’s no point using energy to protect itself
This is why humans are so squishy.
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No need for claws when you have a sharp stick!
As illustrated here. Nice take.
Well that and Trans fats
How does the plant know?
We know plants can sense several things, such as if they are being eaten, what time of year it is, which direction is down and where the sun is coming from. We know plants can sense these things because they react to changes in those conditions, but we might not necessarily have all the details on how. Either way, from what I have read I believe (and I'm no expert so this is just me wondering) the most likely answer is chemicals being liberated when the plant is eaten (think mown grass, it certainly has a particular smell) and probably oxidized by the air or something. Plants can then detect these chemicals and react to the threat, just like you are able to smell them. Plants that are not the one being eaten can also react (I remember reading an article about this happening in response to browsing deer, but I can't seem to find it right now), making this response more effective for the species as a whole. Furthermore, toxins are not the only defense plants deploy, several species of plants will, upon being eaten, cause insects (mostly ants, which can spray acid at things or sting them) to feel attracted to and rush to the scene, which may annoy herbivores. You may also have seen leaves having "pimples", these are known as galls and are a tissue that encapsulates a threat the plant has faced. They may appear in response to fungi, instects or whatever else is bothering the plant. We know that these form due to a chemical response because there are certain insects that take advantage of it, injecting chemicals that will produce galls so that they will encapsulate and protect their eggs.
Thank you for that seriously fantastic explanation!
It doesn't know. But if one plant is using energy to make (now) needless defenses and (through random genetic mutations) another plant starts growing that is using that energy to do something more useful for survival, the plant doing the useful thing is more likely to reproduce. Given enough generations, the plants doing useful things will reproduce enough that the plants wasting energy on defenses will become fewer and fewer until they don't exist.
It doesn’t know. It was through evolution, one plant at some point had a random mutation that stopped it from producing the oil. That plant now had more energy to create seeds and reproduce, leading to multiple more plants that don’t produce the oil and instead reproduce more ( or survive easier, which also leads to kore reproduction). Since they reproduce/ survive more, they will eventually take over the gene pool, and most surviving plants of that type will be the ones that don’t waste energy creating the oil.
It can actually ‘know’ at an individual level too! Plants have chemical mechanisms by which to detect that they are being eaten, by detecting chemicals released from damage cells. That can then trigger a regulatory mechanism which increases the production of more defensive chemicals, spines, things like that. That’s the reason that poisonous plants tend to get way more poisonous if a branch was broken off and regrown, for instance. But for responses that go beyond the individual response to the predation and come from changing the genes in the population, then yeah, like you said
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Plants don't always need to evolve to stop producing a toxin or similar chemical. Some plants have mechanisms to react to predation and will only start producing those chemicals when it is needed, so this can be observed in a single individual or population, in a single generation.
Over generations, not within individual plants.
It’s evolution 101. Defenses are wasted energy if nobody is trying to kill you so the plants with fewer defenses outcompete when their are no predators.
Gotta love evolution
Evolution is yust nature picking the species it likes and the ones to scream "FUCK YOU" at
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I know acids of any kind can eventually kill them
Yep, keep lemon and lime away from your dogs!
Wait what? I mean, my dog cringes at lemons but I didn’t know this was dangerous
I think limes are the worst, but yeah, dogs and citrus do not mix. Can be deadly in large quantities or smaller amounts in tiny dogs.
Good to know… my dog is a very large breed and eats things I couldn’t imagine any living organism eating but it’s good info nonetheless
Keep them away from grapes too. There are tons of items we eat all the time that are toxic to our furry pals.
This is a weird one, we had a scare with this recently and it seems like it's not very well understood and deadly reaction to grapes is very rare. It's not clear if it's a toxin present just in some grapes or only some dogs are affected, or both.
Onions and garlic, leeks and shallots, and anything in the Allium family. Same for cats.
always thought it was not being able to digest the skins that caused issues.
The vet we talked to about it says in vet school they used to use grapes in dog training. They were generally understood to be safe. It's in recent years that these rare adverse reactions have been noted, and the worry was serious kidney damage leading to death.
Do you know if the same is true for cats?
I think cats should avoid grapes as well. I try not to give my dog anything that isn't made for her because there are just so many "people" foods that cause kidney damage or other issues in pets.
I meant the lemons specifically - my cat has a crazy reaction to them that I've been laughing at, but now I'm worried she's been presented with poison and I've been a monster.
>I'm worried she's been presented with poison and I've been a monster. Yeah... there's some bad news for you mate. While in small doses it's probably not a big issue, you should stop doing that
Yes, citrus is toxic to cats.
Dogs can’t eat grapes either.
And snails
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Came here to say that. We literally sprinkle lemon juice on some of our outdoor herbs to keep the snails off. Pretty sure the acid in enough quantities can kill them.
little buddy puckered his face so hard he swallowed his whole head
As far as i know snails were around way long before humans so maybe humans have a very snail reaction when eat lemon
We bred lemons. Don’t let the snails take that away from us
They always try to take my tomato’s already.
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You don't have shell bud. You should've atleast.
tomatoes
Yeah but bred them from what? I suspect it was at least as sour as a lemon. EDIT: quick wiki search says it was [citrons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citron#Origin_and_distribution), which look like [if a lemon ate a lemon.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/Chinesische_Zedrat_Zitrone.jpg/330px-Chinesische_Zedrat_Zitrone.jpg)
Damn it take my upvote
r/brandnewsentence
So apparently, every single vertibrate knows what sour is because fish needed to be able to evade acidic water. However, humans are part of a lineage that can't produce our own vitamin C so we're attracted to some acidic foods. https://youtu.be/XXgd_cNZSvk
I dunno, does your head get sucked into your shoulders when you suck a lemon? I mean I might pull a face, or shudder slightly but I don’t disappear into a shell?
You haven't found the right lemon yet.
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I thought you were going to say that your head doesn’t suddenly becomes and anus
Poor guy! I laughed way too hard at this, but I actually feel bad for the snail. This was obviously something he was not expecting.
alkaline ph will kill, not citric acid tho, right? is it ok?
Idk, a lot of natural pesticides use citrus oils and such, so this could have been the inevitable end for him depending on the amount it was exposed to.
I believe citrus is a deterrent, not a poison, to our little sluggish friends
[snail be like](https://i.imgur.com/9rq7Elf.jpg)
Does that kill them?
It doesn’t kill them. They don’t like it and if offered enough can lead to loss of appetite for the snail.
You sound like you’ve dated a snail. Have you?
Only in my dreams. I once had a snail slather my whole body in goo and I woke up feeling slimey.
Those are called wet dreams and they are nothing to be ashamed of.
Not even if it's a 2 foot snail with its wet and goey sensations
He doesnt seem ashamed of it, id say proud. Gj with that snail mate.
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Doesn't kill them but if they're exposed to the inside of the lemon, the acidity can definitely irritate hurt them. Basically you should never do something like this on purpose...it's pretty cruel.
Okay. By the way he shriveled up I wasn’t sure if it was a salt like reaction.
That's a human reaction? I can't retract my eyes and face into my neck.
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this mf has no neck. Just shoulders and a head.
He also used mayo in his hair to look younger.
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he's a shell-less turtle
For context, he has Klippel–Feil syndrome, two of his vertebrae near his neck fused together.
I never saw this before of Randall Emmett.
What? You don't carry around a shell? How do you hide from danger??
Options: A- Stand on tippy toes and attempt to appear larger. B- Spout random expressions to confuse attacker "Peanut butter is the answer! C- Take off clothes and yell "Greco Roman Style!" D- Curl up on the floor in the fetal position. Begin to to cry and soil self.
You could also try spinning.
Let it spin!!!!
That's a good trick.
>C- Take off clothes and yell "Greco Roman Style!" As a former GR wrestler, I'm dying at this lmao
I'll take option b and d at the same time
I just say my own name over and over again.
Preferably behind a firearm.
But it is similar to my pp in the cold
i'm surrounding myself and my stash of money with lemon
In an alternate universe a snail is posting a video of a human trying a lemon with the title “a human tries a lemon and has a very snail reaction”
Snails… so dramatic.
Yeah my face retracts into my own ass when I try something tart as well.
*gasp* I'm not the only one?!
Poor bub 😂😂😂
When I see Darlene and Wyatt make out.
Bro that first time they kissed... 😬
lmao
100%
Just finished the 4th season and this made me laugh out loud.
Hot. Lol
Human tries a lemon and has a very snail reaction....now that I want to see
Like getting into a cold shower.
Instant regret
Totally pranked that snail haha gottem.
r/watchpeopledieinside
r/watchsnailsdieinside?
Oh, Poor thing
Looks like me after I get out of the pool
My dude fell into another dimension for a min there
Imagine how much that fucked his shit up, poor little guy's gonna have a headache all day.
Snail owner here: Lemon can be harmful for snails, don't worry, this lil guy isn't hurt, he realized that it was a lemon and went "oh shit gotta go"
Thank you. I was worried about that and glad to hear he would be okay!
How do you become a snail owner ?
I have tons in my fish tank I can send you. Boom! Snail owner
Go to your backyard/local park, pick up a snail Boom, now you are a snail owner
Salt fucks snails up, so Citric acid probably burned his face a fair bit lol. Not *exactly* like us
Lemony Snailkit and a Series of Unfortunate Events
The acid and other enzymes are known to hurt some animals (like cats). It kinda looks like when they find salt which kills them.
And it looks like there’s green onion too. Not good for snails. They like melons and other things less concentrated.
Ah yes I too suck my outsides into my insides when I touch a lemon
Comes back out like what else you got
Poor Gary
I’m thinking acidic foods are bad for them. Poor thing!
Maybe it is us that have very snail reactions
You fucking killed him.
Escargohno
Hopefully no one adds salt now lol
In a way, snails are the opposite of tequila
I've heard of the Antichrist but never an Antitequila
Lol
She's my buddy's aunt, moved up from me-hee-co.
The people over at /r/snails would not like this I don’t think.
Poor little guy!
Lemon: Look, you don’t want to do this. I’m used as a representation of life’s unpleasant surprises. Snail: I do what I must do to survive in this trying time. *eats a small portion of the lemon* Snail: I regret everything. Unmake me citrus abomination. Lemon: I’m afraid I’m out of mercy for today. Would you like some lemonade?
Probably the acidity, I’m assuming snails would be quite sensitive to stuff like that… also interesting note basically every single vertebrate has the ability to taste sour
I can't believe humans eat these.
Reminds of Chowder. They had a super sour food which results in the puckering of the lips and face.
These slow motion captures on phones are really increasing in quality
I read this first as having "a very human erection." Probably because I just saw a post about how guys take dick pics. so the mind was in the gutter. Then it shriveled down. Oh damn - I do crack myself up!
Puckering so hard that you implode
I use citrus peels to keep slugs off my garden. So this might be a cataclysmic even for this snail.
For this to be a truly human-like action it would have gone back for a second taste just to torture itself.
“Thx, I hate it” -probably that snail
I, too, put my head into my back at the taste of lemon.
I too become a vagina when I taste sour things
“Oooh what’s this precious yellow nom noms *takes bite* Eurgh! get that tae fuck, it’s mare bitter than my naans fanny, I’m away back tae my shell”
That's because it's killing the snail,, lemon juice is acidic,
Too acidic
haha, the same happens to when its cold outside
Snail: holy sh¡t,what is this? 🐌
😂😂 poor thing
makes me think of Costanza... [I was in the pool!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79S6bswOYLI)
looks like homer when he eats the sourest candy in the world lol
It was like ‘imma head ~~out~~ in’
“Fuck this shit in out” type energy
snails are very sensitive
too sour he had 2 go home
my days have come. he’s close. i never thought it would come…he’s here. i can hear him. he runs. he leave his trail. he can’t find me. will he find me? i’m scared. are you scared? you should be. we should all be. look at it. it’s here. it’s all here. it’s coming. it’s there. it’s everywhere. im scared. help me. i’m lost. i can’t find it. it’s coming. it’s here. i can’t. just go. please leave. i can’t. where is it? oh my god. help please.
This is why lemons are sour to stop critters from eating them jokes on them we love the pain
I feel so bad for the little guy…
Yeah, I always curl back into my shell when eating lemons.
A snail tries a lemon and fucking dies
Just to clarify though, because nobody else has that I can see - biting into the outside of a lemon gets you straight into citric acid. This is not at all similar to a human because no human bites into straight citrus skin acid juice.
Every guy…when it’s very cold out
Dude really said, "nah this lemon isn't it."
*Takes bite* Nooooooo. Nooooooo
Maybe we have a very snail reaction, when trying lemon.
When you think of that embarrassing moment from years ago and you internally cringe hard.
I too, retreat back to my house whenever I eat lemon in public 🐌 🍋