Category Plants & Animals

What is the importance of handloom in India?

How do plants transport their seeds for propagation? Do you know that they employ different ways to spread their seeds widely? Let’s look at some of them today

Plants have various ways to ensure that their seeds are spread widely and have a chance to grow. Some employ animals and birds, others wind and water, while still others use their own power to transport their seeds.

 

Dodo tree

The tambalacoque tree grows only in Mauritius and is valued for its timber. In the 17th century, all of a sudden, the tambalacoque lost the ability to grow from seeds. Existing trees continued to live, but not one of the seeds they produced would germinate. By the 1970s, there were only 13 sickly trees left.

An American ecologist. Stanley Temple, observed in 1977 that the tree had stopped growing from seed at about the same time that the DID YOU KNOW? The seeds of a type of tomato plant that grows in the Galapagos Island germinate only when they are eaten by a tortoise and pass through its digestive system! flightless bird of Mauritius, the dodo, became extinct. Temple concluded that the seeds, which had a thick hard covering, would germinate only if they were eaten by the dodo and passed through its digestive system! Without the grinding in the dodo’s gizzard, the seed could not break through the tough exterior and sprout.

He force-fed the seeds to wild turkeys and some of them germinated- the first tambalacoque saplings seen in 300 years!

Launch pad

The squirting cucumber of the Mediterranean fills with a slimy juice as it ripens. Soon, the pressure within increases so much that the cucumber is launched off its stalk like a miniature rocket. The seeds stream out from a hole in its base and land as far away as six metres from the parent plant!

The Brazilian hura tree or monkey’s dinner-bell has a more dramatic way of sending off its seeds. It has a detonating seed container. After it dries out fully, it explodes with a deafening bang, hurling its seeds over a distance of 12 metres! The pods of the broom plant become hot and dry and split open down the middle, catapulting is tiny black seeds in all directions.

Wind and water

Some plants fuave seents so tiny, that they are easily carried away by the wind. Kapok trees auf cotton bushes provide their seeds with a convenient tuft of threads that are long and durable. They catch the wind and float many miles before they land in fertile soil and germinate Dandelion seeds have a tiny parachute and are attached to the top of a stem like a fragile globe. The merest breath of wind can cause millions to take off and sail high into the sky.

The coconut palm on the other hand, sends its seed by sen packed in a fibrous waterproof shell containing water and a supply of rich food in the form of the kernel to nourish it on its long journey.

Winging their way

Many tall trees have winged seeds that travel some distance before falling on the ground to germinate, thus avoiding their shade.

The Anisoptera and Alsomitra are two of the tallest trees in Asia. Their seeds come equipped with a pair of wings. Anisoptera seeds are spear-shaped and spin like the rotors of a helicopter when released. Alsomitra seeds are fitted with paper-thin wings. They descend very slowly and travel over nine metres before falling to the ground.

Critters as couriers

Plants use animals as seed carriers. Some have thomy, stick-on seeds which attach to the fur of the animal as it brushes past. The South African grapple plant has seeds with hooks that embed in the soles of a rhino or elephant’s feet and fall off after the animal has walked some distance.

The best advertisement for most plants are their delicious fruits! if the animal swallows the seed with the fruit, the coating ensures the seed passes out undamaged.

It wouldn’t do if the seed is eaten before it matures, so the plant craftily makes the fruit hard and sour. Once the seed is ready, the fruit tums sweet and aromatic inviting animals to have a feast!

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How are plants and animals named?

Binomial nomenclature is the standard naming convention used in modern society, and applies to Latin identification of species too.

Loxodonta africana, Panthera tigris, Nelumbo nucifera. Tamarindus indica these are not magical spells – you know these names better as the African elephant, tiger, lotus and tamarind respectively. Every living being on earth, be it an animal, bird, insect or plant is given a two-part scientific name in the Latin language. The system of identification is called binomial nomenclature. It was devised by a Swedish naturalist named Carl Linnaeus in 1753. An internationally agreed-upon set of rules govem the application of binomial nomenclature. The system helps scientists worldwide to discuss the various innumerable species without confusion.A species is one of the most basic units of biological classification. Each species has a unique name. The first capitalised part of the name indicates the genus to which the organism belongs and the second part identifies the species within the genus. The name is usually printed in italics. Part of the name may describe the organism (for example, ‘domesticus’ indicates a domesticated species). It may indicate the name of its discoverer, for example, Abies fraseri is a fir tree named after a John Fraser, a Scottish botanist named John Fraser who discovered the tree species.

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What are the terms which start from ‘Pink’?

Pink noise

The pink noise is a steady background sound. They help calm one and filter out distracting noises such as people talking or the sound of cars. It uses a consistent frequency or pitch. This can also be defined as random noise having equal energy per octave, and thereby having more low-frequency components. Hence most people perceive it as being even or flat. Pink noise is often used to test Loudspeakers.

Pink city

The city of Jaipur is the most colourful city in Iulia. It is fondly called the ‘Pink City’ due to the colour scheme of its buildings: a shade of pink. The city acquired its pink colour during the reign of Maharaja Ram Singh. Back in 1876, the king had the city painted pink, a colour associated with hospitality to welcome the Prince of Wales (later King Edward II) to the city. Ever since then, Pink City gets a fresh coat of paint every 10 years.

Pink slip

The termination notice given to an employee is known as the pink slip. It was originally an American practice to attach a note of discharge along with the pay envelope given to an employee. The Oxford dictionary included the word in 1915.

Pink-headed duck

An elusive bird, the Pink-headed duck is a large diving duck that is believed to be extinct since the 1950s. The species was found in India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The duck was hunted for its unusual plumage. It had a long slender neck, a dark body, a peaked pink head and a pink bill. It lived in marshlands and built its nest in high grass. It is said to have eaten water plants and molluscs. The last confirmed sighting was in 1949.

Pink dolphin

The most popular of river dolphins found in the Amazon river, the Pink dolphin is a very intelligent, friendly and social creature. They eat crabfish, river fish and even turtles. They can turn their heads 180 degrees. An endangered species, it is being threatened by the increase in river traffic and pollution.

Pink eye

A viral infection of the inner lining of the eyelids and the white of the eye, Conjunctivitis is a very contagious disease. Also called Pink eye, you get conjunctivitis when the conjunctiva gets irritated because of allergies or infection. The thin dear tissue that lies over the white part of the eye is called the conjunctiva. The affected person has watery, itchy eyes and develops sensitivity to light. The disease can spread easily through direct contact with eye by eyes or by sneezing or coughing.

Pink Panther

A series of comedy films, the Pink Panther features an inept police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseaus. It was originally played by Peter Sellers and more recently by Steve Martin. The Pink Panther is a large pink diamond which is so called because a flaw in its centre resembles the image of a panther. The films gave birth to the Pink Panther animated character which has its own series of cartoons.  The first of those series, The Pink Phink, won the 1964 Academy award for Best Animated Short film.

Pink Floyd

An English rock band formed in London in 1965, Pink Floyd is considered the greatest progressive rock hand of all time. With their highly philosophical lyrics, extended compositions and unique sonic experimentations they created a niche for themselves in the music industry. Their albums The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975). Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979) are very popular. The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. These albums along with Wish You Were Here are among the best-selling albums.

Pink

The stage name of an American singer-actress Alecia Beth Moore, Pink has won several Grammy and MTV Video Music Awards. She is hailed for ‘a strong signature voice and a literally acrobatic ability on stage’. ‘Lady Marmalade’, ‘Get the Party Started’ and Trouble’ are some of her most popular songs.

Pink chocolate

You have heard about dark and white chocolate. But what is pink chocolate? Also known as ruby chocolate, pink chocolate was launched by Swiss cocoa giant Barry Callebaut in 2017. This chocolate has a reddish-pink hue and a fruity berry-like flavour. It’s not as sweet as milk chocolate. It has no food colour or berry flavour added to it. Its pink colour comes from a powder extracted during the processing and is claimed to be the first new natural colour for chocolate since Swiss food company Nestle introduced white chocolate more than 80 years ago. Pink chocolate is made from the Ruby cocoa bean, a new type of cocoa bean discovered by Barry Callebaut. These beans are found in different regions of the world including Brazil, Ecuador and the Ivory Coast in Africa. They’re completely natural and not genetically modified. Its unique attributes were unlocked through an innovative process that took 13 years to develop.

Pink lake

Picture this. A lake that is pink in colour. Lake Hillier in Middle Island, in the Recherche Archipelago off Australia’s south coast, has water that resembles a strawberry milkshake. It is a shallow lake with brilliant pink water that is nearly opaque and highly salty. It is about 1.6 km long and about a third as wide. At first, it was thought that the algae that grow in the Lake were responsible for creating the pink colour. But now that this theory has been disproved. Why the lake has pink water remains a mystery.

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Do plants have the ability to learn?

Plants do not store information the way we humans do, but they have a way of remembering – they store memories “in sophisticated cellular and molecular signalling networks”. Called ‘somatic memory’, it is stored in the plant’s body. And, this is what a plant passes down to its offspring.

The act of learning is usually attributed to animals. A few studies in the past have shown that plants can learn too. However, a new analysis suggests that plants are capable of more than just learning. What is it? Come, let’s find out.

From floods and heat waves to drought and wildfires, extreme weather events caused due to climate crisis have been affecting natural wildlife habitats the world over. Such changes to their environment have forced animals to change their behaviour too – “altering their hunting and hibernation patterns and moving habitats”. But animals aren’t the only ones adapting to change. As the new research indicates, plants too are forced to “quickly adapt to survive. And, as part of this adaptation, they also “transmit these new traits on to their offspring” – in what is seen as teaching.

It may seem impossible that rooted as they are to the spot, plants are able to adapt, much less teach. But this is exactly what is happening. For instance, plants use the winter season to get ready for flowering in spring, which is the next season. With winters becoming shorter, some plants now have mechanisms in place that allow them “to avoid flowering in periods where they have less chances to reproduce”. Plants do not store information the way we humans do, but they have a way of remembering – they store memories “in sophisticated cellular and molecular signalling networks”. Called ‘somatic memory, it is stored in the plant’s body. And, this is what a plant passes down to its offspring. Researchers say this is not a genetic change, rather it is what they call ‘epigenetics”; “they can change how an organism reads a DNA sequence”. This contributes “to the long-term adaptation of plant species to climate change”.

Did you know?

Epigenetics is the study of how your behaviours and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work. Unlike genetic changes, epigenetic changes are reversible. They do not change your DNA sequence, but they can change how your body reads a DNA sequence.

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Have you heard about a tree that looks like a painting?

Have you heard about a tree that looks like a painting? Legend even has it that Robin Hood took shelter in a tree. Here we bring you some of the unique trees in the world.

AFRICAN BAOBAB – AFRICA

These ancient trees have been around even before humans walked the earth. They date back thousands of years and are endemic to the African savannah. These baobabs grow into colossal sizes and are life-sustaining trees. This tree species is referred to as the Tree of Life for the shelter, food and water it provides during inclement weather conditions.

THE MAJOR OAK TREE- THE UK

This is Robin Hood’s tree. Remember the legend of Robin Hood and how he took shelter in a tree and hid from the Sheriff of Nottingham? Well, this Oak tree, which is the largest in the U.K., is the infamous tree that provided shelter. The tree is hollow inside and has a hole in its trunk. Nuzzled in the Sherwood Forest Country Park, this 1,000-year-old hollow oak tree gets many visitors. Seen here is the Robin Hood’s Larder tree from an 1880 postcard.

LONE CYPRESS TREE – THE U.S.

Lone Cypress is perhaps the most photographed tree in the world. As the name suggests, this tree stands all alone, standing sentinel on the Californian coast. The tree is believed to be over 250 years old and is perched on the rocky ledge along the 17 Mile Drive on Pebble Beach in Monterey County.

RAINBOW EUCALYPTUS

Northern Hemisphere Picture this. A tree cloaked in a rainbow. The tree looks like a painting with a multitude of colours splashed right across it. Christened the rainbow eucalyptus, these rare eucalyptus trees are indigenous to the northern hemisphere. When the bark of the tree peels off during each season, out pops the coloured bark which ages as it with the elements producing the brilliant hues. Commonly called Rainbow Eucalyptus, the species goes by the name Eucalyptus deglupta. The tree is commonly found in Philippines, New Guinea, and Indonesia.

WANAKA TREE – NEW ZEALAND

Hundreds flock to this place every year to get a picture of the Wanaka Tree that seems to rise out of the placid waters of lake Wanaka, New Zealand. Evenings are the best time to visit the place as it always offers postcard-perfect views. The tree is often called That Wanaka Tree’. This loner of a willow tree set against a panoramic vista of the mountains of the Southern Alps makes for a resplendent sight.

THE BOAB ‘PRISON’ TREE-AUSTRALIA

This is a huge Boab tree with a large hollow. The tree is believed to be more than a thousand years old and is found in Derby, Kimberley, Western Australia. Known for decades as the Boab Prison Tree, the tree gets its name after the legend that it was used as a lockup for Aboriginal prisoners. But researchers have maintained that there is no evidence for this and have been pushing for appropriately naming the tree.

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What are some of the characteristics of weeds?

Weeds are fast growers, sturdy and hard to get rid of Although some are known to be toxic, they have multiple uses. Let’s look at a few of them this week.

Unwanted nuisance

A weed is a plant which is generally considered to be an unwanted nuisance, particularly in farms, gardens, etc. Weeds grow and spread very fast are very hardy and difficult to get rid of, and can survive in the most adverse conditions.

There are many commonly known weeds, such as the dandelion, goldenrod, ragweed, bulrush, arrowhead, milkweed, Indian goose grass, dodder, amaranth, etc. Many of these are well known by other Indian names in history, folklore and literature.

Since weeds are very fast growers and sturdy survivors, they draw nutrition away from crop plants. Further, seeds of weeds have the ability to remain dormant in the soil for very long, growing back with the next crop or the rains. Dodder or ‘amarbel’ as known in India, for example, is a vicious weed: it spreads relentlessly, showing an uncanny ability to attach itself onto the crop plant towards which it grows. What is more, dodder has an eerie sense of preference for certain plants over others. It prefers tomatoes, for example, over wheat, and propels itself towards such plants.

Apart from interfering with the crop, many weeds are also seen to be harmful or poisonous. The giant milkweed or ‘arka’ as it is known in India, with faint white or purple flowers, is known to be toxic to the eyes.

‘Datura’ with the elongated white flowers is known to be toxic, and has been used across cultures as a poison.

‘Parthenium’ is a plant with thin stems and small white button-like flowers, of the Asteraceae family (like the flower aster). Parthenium is known to be toxic to both humans and animals.

They are useful too!

Many of these weeds have a multitude of uses across various cultures, including India.

A weed can be used as a prickly border to crop fields (the abundant shrub Lantana camara makes excellent fencing material), or as ropes to tie up bundles, make baskets, etc.

Any weed, when cut and left in the field, makes excellent compost or manure. Dandelion with the little yellow flowers, for example, helps crops grow better by breaking up the hard layer of soil known as ‘hardpan’ that forms in fields after too much cultivation.

Yet other weeds are useful as pest repellants. Ocimumcanum for example, is collected and added to grains during storage to reduce pests. Others such as Calotropis gigantea and Argemone mexicana are used to make antifeedant sprays just like neem leaves.

A number of weeds are also famous as ‘holy’ plants. The flowers of globe amaranth, the bluebell, or thumba with the little white flowers and others are offered to Gods. ‘Arka’ is used to make garlands for Lord Ganesha.

Many weeds also make excellent livestock feed. In Ayurveda, weeds are often used as medicine and food supplements. In olden times, the poor who could not afford nutritious food or milk would soak grass or ‘durva’ overnight in water, and give the water to their children the next day as a nutrition supplement. Cats and dogs are often seen munching on blades of grass on lawns when they have an upset stomach. Ganaki sopu of the tomato family is fodder to the cow and medicine for the humans.

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