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New Zealand Tree Stuck In Evolutionary Time Warp

Posted by Soulskill on from the decompress-the-shuttlebay dept.

sciencehabit writes "A eucalyptus-like tree from New Zealand is still waging a battle that should have ended over 500 years ago. The tree continues to sport evolutionary adaptations, such as barbed leaves, to protect it from a large, flightless bird known as a moa. There's just one problem: the moa went extinct around 1500 AD."

7 of 337 comments (clear)

  1. It isn't instant. by DarkNinja75 · · Score: 5, Informative

    And humans still have tailbones.

  2. Re:Wrong comparison ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    After millions of years of natural selection, I find it unlikely that any advantage will be big enough to cause a significant difference over such a short time.

    You don't need millions of years to notice significant evolutionary changes. Darwin's Finches is a great example of significant evolutionary changes, in just 2-3 generations or every few years.

  3. Bad example? by pjt33 · · Score: 4, Informative

    You're assuming that the human appendix is useless, which isn't necessarily the case. There are at least two open suggestions as to its function.

  4. Re:Evolution is great. (mostly) by Zhila+the+Great+Z · · Score: 2, Informative

    The time period for a generation has little to do with how long the organism can survive, but rather how long until the organism is capable of reproduction.

  5. Re:Clever Modding by Devout_IPUite · · Score: 2, Informative

    New Zealandâ(TM)s land biota evolved in the near-absence of mammals. MÄori introduced one new mammalian herbivore (the rat, kiore) and Europeans introduced over 25 more species, including three more rodent species, brushtail possums, and various species of deer. Before mammals were introduced, forests had been grazed for millennia by flightless birds. These became extinct within 150 years of MÄori settlement. [http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/research_details.asp?Research_Content_ID=55]

    The plants kept their evolutionary advantages against herbivores because there are still herbivores on New Zealand... Yes?

  6. Re:unless it's a disadvantage ..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Hi,

    You might not see this because I'm AC, but nails actually serve a very interesting, and counterintuitive purpose.

    By having a hard shell on the back of your fingers and toes, you can apply more pressure on the other side.

    Slade

  7. Re:In other related news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Men have nipple because all foetuses are female until 12 weeks. If sufficient testosterone is given at this time the foetus develops as male.