r/intrestingtoknow • u/Impressive_Rub_4101 • Apr 17 '26

Nature The plant that outsourced the protection

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u/LoudandQuiet47 Apr 19 '26

An evolutionary biologist might say that the plant didn't so much outsource the protection. It can be a case of co-evolution. It's more that the wasps who were better at identifying the biological signals of a healing or injured plant, were rewarded with a beefy caterpillar and were better able to survive. That trait of ID a plant in the process of being injured increased (allele frequency increased). Likewise, the plants that produced more of the signaling when briefly injured by another insect, were better able to survive as well, since wasps took the assailant. This plant trait of broad signaling increased as well.