Why Animals Can Camouflage And Plants Bloom Flowers?
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Hi,
I'd like to ask a question.
We all know animals can camouflage themselves. Like zebra with their stripes. They can blend in among the tall grass. Or polar bear with the white fur, to blend in with the snow.
OK.
The question is. How do they do it?
I mean, does a zebra think like this 'OK that lion looks like it's going to eat me and there are so many tall grass here, I better tell my hair cells to start drawing stripes. That seems like a good idea for me and my species.'
And, does a polar bear think like this 'OK all this snow is white all over, I better tell my hair cells to grow white, it will help me and my species to blend in.'
And let me move on to another similar example. Plants.
You know a rose? flowers.
Are roses beautiful? Are flowers beautiful?
Flowers are very pleasing to the eyes, even for human eyes. How do the plants do it, really? It's so sophisticated and complex isn't it?
Have u ever really looked at a flower? The bright color, the pattern, the symmetry. They attracted bees (visually as well) and even humans. How the plants can figure out what other creatures deem as beauty?
That, is a big question, really. Isn't it?
Can anyone give some insights? Thanks. -
ask how SLAPPY always post dumb threads and you'll find the answer to yr question...........
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I think u might have misunderstood my post. It is a valid question. Can u answer it. I really can't.
Im not sure if scientists have found the answers to this, I think it's related to evolution and how it works. But I don't think we have truly understood how the evolution actually works. Im sure I don't. If anybody knows more, Im interested to know here. -
no, i don't.
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true though. one fine day ur kid might juz ask u that, and u gonna dismiss it as a stupid question and them probably juz as stupid for asking such a stupid question?
erm.. i think the changes are very gradual over many generations, maybe its a subconcious wish that they bred generations after generations and under extreme conditions, it actually somewhat manisfested. -
....tis is what i learnt in school when i was 14.
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Something to do with the gene pool.. anyway this is what I remember from my biology...
Let say for a certain insect that lives on tree trunks. Many many years ago, its ancestors come in varied colors. Those who are bright and colorful are eaten up by predators. That leaves a small proportion of dull colored insects that eventually reproduce and form the insects that live today..
So in other words its survival of the fittest. Animals and plants that you see today are the remaining ones that survived due to their special color/properties etc.. And since those that we see are the majority, we tend to think that they must be of that color.. eg. there might have been white zebras in the beginning
This is just my laymen 2 cents
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They can do it because they know someday, someone will talk about them if they can do it.
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Imagine this.. a guy comes in sgforums seeking answers...he keeps waiting for answers till forumnites tells him. Other people would have googled or used search engines n receive the answer immediately. Which one will natural selection favour? spoon feeding person 1 or resourceful person 2?
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All things on this Earth are predestined...
Dun think too much, will have white hair... -
Hahaha alexkusu........I didn't use the google coz I don't think the current literature will answer it.....or, put it differently, I think our current knowledge is still incomplete, or put it differently, Im not searching for those google-results kinda answers. That's why I ask here for people's ideas.
Why, do u doubt my pure sincerity? -
alexkusu thinks you're evil.
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nature forum..
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i dun knw means i dun knw lah...
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this is more towards the Theory of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin.
if im not wrong the surrounding plays a part in the evolution process of the living organism.. hence when therez changes to the surrounding they will have to adapt to the changes... to know more u can read up on Charles Darwin or Gregor Mendel's Theories.. -
Gaia Theory ---> the entire earth is like a giant living organism, all the things coevolve.Originally posted by Li Ka Shing:Hi,
I'd like to ask a question.
We all know animals can camouflage themselves. Like zebra with their stripes. They can blend in among the tall grass. Or polar bear with the white fur, to blend in with the snow.
OK.
The question is. How do they do it?
I mean, does a zebra think like this 'OK that lion looks like it's going to eat me and there are so many tall grass here, I better tell my hair cells to start drawing stripes. That seems like a good idea for me and my species.'
And, does a polar bear think like this 'OK all this snow is white all over, I better tell my hair cells to grow white, it will help me and my species to blend in.'
And let me move on to another similar example. Plants.
You know a rose? flowers.
Are roses beautiful? Are flowers beautiful?
Flowers are very pleasing to the eyes, even for human eyes. How do the plants do it, really? It's so sophisticated and complex isn't it?
Have u ever really looked at a flower? The bright color, the pattern, the symmetry. They attracted bees (visually as well) and even humans. How the plants can figure out what other creatures deem as beauty?
That, is a big question, really. Isn't it?
Can anyone give some insights? Thanks. -
Hi Mr. Li,
I always found that your post is very serious. Very different from the atmosphere in chit chat forum.
I try to be as serious. Hope no one will laugh at me.
I tend to believe your question comes with an intention - hoping people to answer it with evolution principle. I think the following conversation kind of proves it.
Before I give my input, I want to let you know that there are plenty of literature out there answering your questions. So, go Google. You will find some of them useful.
Why animal becomes the way they are? The answer can be both philosophical and technical. From the viewpoint of philosophy, they are of course what they are. Sounds zen? But this is true.
Technically, or in term of evolution, survivors the fittest. I think someone mentioned it. It needs no need to think in the way that 'I want to hide myself in the desert, so I better develop into something more complicated'. No, there is no such a need.
The nature will select those genes that fit the environment. So only those zebra which could hide themselves better survive and passed down their genes. After many many generations, you see the current zebra.
Rose. Is rose beautiful? I think not everyone agrees to it. Baby might not agree. But if you keep telling baby that rose is beautiful. It becomes beautiful. Of course, I am not denying that the symmetric of rose isn't something, but it is simply not the foundation of beauty.
The sense to differentiate beauty is mainly influenced by experience and knowledge gained later.
Go read Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene and River out of Eden. You will gain more insight to the current academia thinking. -
organisms that happen by sheer chance to possess desirable traits, whether effective camo or bee-attracting colors, they tend to survive more successfully to propagate their genes, and after several generations, such characteristics gradually predominate the gene poolOriginally posted by Li Ka Shing:Hi,
I'd like to ask a question.
We all know animals can camouflage themselves. Like zebra with their stripes. They can blend in among the tall grass. Or polar bear with the white fur, to blend in with the snow.
OK.
The question is. How do they do it?
I mean, does a zebra think like this 'OK that lion looks like it's going to eat me and there are so many tall grass here, I better tell my hair cells to start drawing stripes. That seems like a good idea for me and my species.'
And, does a polar bear think like this 'OK all this snow is white all over, I better tell my hair cells to grow white, it will help me and my species to blend in.'
And let me move on to another similar example. Plants.
You know a rose? flowers.
Are roses beautiful? Are flowers beautiful?
Flowers are very pleasing to the eyes, even for human eyes. How do the plants do it, really? It's so sophisticated and complex isn't it?
Have u ever really looked at a flower? The bright color, the pattern, the symmetry. They attracted bees (visually as well) and even humans. How the plants can figure out what other creatures deem as beauty?
That, is a big question, really. Isn't it?
Can anyone give some insights? Thanks. -
OEi~! that's my line!!Originally posted by Delta 5:All things on this Earth are predestined... -
i didnt doubt ur sincerityOriginally posted by Li Ka Shing:Why, do u doubt my pure sincerity?
All I did was posted an innocent scenario, free from intentions, and is designed to be highly informative.
u doubt me huh?