Absolutely my bad, on the gas changes, you are right of course. I neglected to think that through. In fact, when storing apples in modern controlled atmosphere storage rooms, one of the requirements is for a CO2 scrubber, so that gas doesn't get too high. /2
O2 is kept very low in those rooms to control maturation. The qty of O2, CO2, N2 and cooling varies by apple type. Too much O2, the apple will soften & rot, too little it dies of senescence. O2 is often kept ~2-4%. If breathed at that level it would cause a worker to collapse almost instantly 3/
As you can imagine, there are strict protocols and rescue training protocols for working in those rooms.
I can say for sure that the fruit does photosynthesize on the tree through its chlorophyll pigment, but this has a much lower impact than the leaves, and reduces as the fruit matures. /4
So this is probably an evolutionary advantage where animals would each the fruit and poop out the seeds giving the plant instant fertilizer and us a tasty treat.
This is part of its reproduction strategy! Animals eat the fruit and then poop and fertilize the seeds, or in human cases, cultivate the seeds. Trees can't move, so they need something to attract nutrients to them. It's a wonderful illustration of symbiosis.
It's quite possible that avocados evolved to be eaten & excreted by megafauna. Although another hypothesis is that their ancestral form before humans bred them was much much smaller. Many large seed fruit do struggle post-megafauna, with poor ability to distribute (mostly rolling into valleys).
Whereas mushrooms like to hide. You have to work to find their delicious goodness. There have been many times I've stepped right over a pine mushroom hiding in the moss only to have a buddy point it out to me.
Greater distance above ground for fruit, so they have to sweeten the deal. Fungus does the complicated stuff close to home, underground and that’s why Luke’s capture of fruiting bodies is so spectacular.
I see I spoke too early, but we import all our bananas, and they are all bright yellow, so I actually didn't think they could have any other colours. Thanks for enlightening me :)
Apes are so stupid. All we have to do is flash them a little color and throw out some sugar, and they'll carry our seeds to the ends of the Earth, with bonus fertilizer too!
It's basically luring you in then using you like the alien used Sigourney Weaver...just exploding its little ones out of your ass instead of through your stomach lining. #FleshyVessel
Most animals are red-green color blind and can’t tell the difference. To us, it’s very obvious, but to the animals it’s evolved to protect against, it’s hard to see
Both. It hopes you take some of the fruit in your basket so that the spores (analogous to seeds) can disperse as they travel along with you to start new colonies elsewhere.
Blackberries are their own vicious counterpart. Right next to the good blackberry is one that looks almost exactly the same but will make your mouth turn inside out with sourness
Yeah, but you’re an animal that might eat the seeds along with the fruit and, perchance, poop where more fruit can grow and boom you just helped a tree do the wild thing.
But, the strategy works if you want to disperse your seeds. They hopefully get eaten, then dropped off a distance away, in a convenient pile of fertilizer.
Ever notice that berries hang below the leaves in bear country? They want to be eaten by bears rather than birds because bears don’t chew the seeds. Everywhere a bear goes it plants a garden.
Similar reason for some peppers to face up and be super hot - for the birds.... mammals will chew the seeds otherwise, but birds won't, and they don't have receptors for the heat
That's... that's because plants want you to eat it. Fruit isn't a vital organ of theirs, but it contains seeds, which is a whole new individual in the making. You eat fruit, you disperse seeds in fertiliser.
Darling dear, that is the point of fruit: "Eat me, silly animal!" It's all in their grand plan to take over the world. And they did. Because we ate them.
The fruit tree has one mission: "Eat my fruit please", poop my seeds out somewhere else and with the poop - my seeds are in a fertilizer and ready to grow into trees! "
Not all fruit turns red when ripe, though. Grapes, blueberries, strawberries, mangos, pineapple, bananas, oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, etc., etc.,
Comments
It is breathing in CO2
Breathing out O2
Converting starch to sugar
Actively reproducing, and Attracting us to eat it.
The fruit does not photosynthesise either but the leaves do.
The fruit it undergoing cellular respiration so the apple produces CO2 & absorbs oxygen from the air & water from the xylem.
It is probably converting sugars to starch.
#plantphysiology
Sugar + O2 -> CO2 + H2O
I can say for sure that the fruit does photosynthesize on the tree through its chlorophyll pigment, but this has a much lower impact than the leaves, and reduces as the fruit matures. /4
It may be responsible for our last great leap of evolution.
After the latest news cycle, it was a Godsend ☺️
you’ve fallen right into it’s trap
Who’s the dummy now? Huh??
It’s a beautiful world
It sees you coming.
Every new arrival creates an opportunity to disperse or collect genetic material.
Open defection is not recommended from a public health standpoint.
They grow a lot of tomatoes.
https://www.science.org/content/article/you-can-thank-your-fruit-hunting-ancestors-your-color-vision
Eve:
☺️
Freaky ass plants 🙄
But, think of the inverse: birds will eat them & disperse the seeds.