Note: These Challenge Questions coincide with the Spring 2003 Reports
From: by way of Journey North (RLedger3@netscape.net)
Date: Fri Feb 28 2003 - 14:43:05 EST
If I remember correctly, a theory about how hummingbirds help "flowers"
(flowering plants) is as follows:
Bees are great pollinators, however they stick to a small range of activity
Hummingbirds have a greater range of activity (ie. their feeding
territories cover larger areas) therefore they help to increase the genetic
diversity of plants by cross-pollinating with plants from farther away
(in the surrounding environment) than bees would bother to. As a consequence, some plants have evolved flowers with characteristics that will attract hummingbirds, in order to acheive greater genetic diversity,
and consequently increased survival rates under extreme conditions.
Cross-pollination by hummingbirds should ultimately lead to greater
probability of offspring survival under Darwinian natural selection.
__________________________________________________________________
The NEW Netscape 7.0 browser is now available. Upgrade now! http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers/download.jsp
Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Mail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com/
Copyright 2003 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send
all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form
|