First Time Growin
Active Member
"
Plants are not static or silly, said Monika Hilker of the Institute of Biology at the Free University of Berlin. They respond to tactile cues, they recognize different wavelengths of light, they listen to chemical signals, they can even talk through chemical signals. Touch, sight, hearing, speech. These are sensory modalities and abilities we normally think of as only being in animals, Dr. Hilker said.
Plants cant run away from a threat but they can stand their ground. They are very good at avoiding getting eaten, said Linda Walling of the University of California, Riverside. Its an unusual situation where insects can overcome those defenses. At the smallest nip to its leaves, specialized cells on the plants surface release chemicals to irritate the predator or sticky goo to entrap it. Genes in the plants DNA are activated to wage systemwide chemical warfare, the plants version of an immune response. We need terpenes, alkaloids, phenolics lets move.
Now, if you're a political vegetarian--based on the belief that widespread practice of a vegetarian diet would produce a sustainable agriculture and social justice--then this thread really isn't for you, though feel free to contribute to the topic at hand.
If you're a nutritional vegetarian--based on the belief that a vegetarian diet produces better health than an omnivorous diet--then this thread really isn't for you either, though feel free to contribute to the topic at hand.
But, if you're a moral vegetarian--based on the belief that a vegetarian diet reduces bloodshed-then this thread is definitely for you and the article provided will lay the foundations for the topic at hand:
Plants are alive too!
Dr. Hilker and her colleagues, as well as other research teams, have found that certain plants can sense when insect eggs have been deposited on their leaves and will act immediately to rid themselves of the incubating menace. They may sprout carpets of tumorlike neoplasms to knock the eggs off, or secrete ovicides to kill them, or sound the S O S. Reporting in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Hilker and her coworkers determined that when a female cabbage butterfly lays her eggs on a brussels sprout plant and attaches her treasures to the leaves with tiny dabs of glue, the vigilant vegetable detects the presence of a simple additive in the glue, benzyl cyanide. Cued by the additive, the plant swiftly alters the chemistry of its leaf surface to beckon female parasitic wasps. Spying the anchored bounty, the female wasps in turn inject their eggs inside, the gestating wasps feed on the gestating butterflies, and the plants problem is solved.
Heres the lurid Edgar Allan Poetry of it: that benzyl cyanide tip-off had been donated to the female butterfly by the male during mating. Its an anti-aphrodisiac pheromone, so that the female wouldnt mate anymore, Dr. Hilker said. The male is trying to ensure his paternity, but he ends up endangering his own offspring.
Fascinating, isn't it?
I know how protective many vegetarians and vegans are of their ideologies (and some omnivores to a lesser extent) and how, eventually, this thread just may turn into a mindless battle of vegetarians vs. omnivores; however, I'd like to focus this discussion on the article provided and its contents.
Furthermore, I'd also like to deter from nutritional and political "vegan vs. omnivore" views and arguments, as this discussion should focus solely on the morality of consuming animals in its comparison to the consumption of plants, as well as the science and legitimacy of "just how alive are plants?"
So, my question is: What's the difference between consuming animals and consuming plants?
I really do hope this can be a civil discussion.
Edit to add: I was cooking burssels sprouts while writing this thread.
-Dev"
Thought this was an interesting read and wanted to share it.
This was taken from: http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread530064/pg1
Plants are not static or silly, said Monika Hilker of the Institute of Biology at the Free University of Berlin. They respond to tactile cues, they recognize different wavelengths of light, they listen to chemical signals, they can even talk through chemical signals. Touch, sight, hearing, speech. These are sensory modalities and abilities we normally think of as only being in animals, Dr. Hilker said.
Plants cant run away from a threat but they can stand their ground. They are very good at avoiding getting eaten, said Linda Walling of the University of California, Riverside. Its an unusual situation where insects can overcome those defenses. At the smallest nip to its leaves, specialized cells on the plants surface release chemicals to irritate the predator or sticky goo to entrap it. Genes in the plants DNA are activated to wage systemwide chemical warfare, the plants version of an immune response. We need terpenes, alkaloids, phenolics lets move.
Now, if you're a political vegetarian--based on the belief that widespread practice of a vegetarian diet would produce a sustainable agriculture and social justice--then this thread really isn't for you, though feel free to contribute to the topic at hand.
If you're a nutritional vegetarian--based on the belief that a vegetarian diet produces better health than an omnivorous diet--then this thread really isn't for you either, though feel free to contribute to the topic at hand.
But, if you're a moral vegetarian--based on the belief that a vegetarian diet reduces bloodshed-then this thread is definitely for you and the article provided will lay the foundations for the topic at hand:
Plants are alive too!
Dr. Hilker and her colleagues, as well as other research teams, have found that certain plants can sense when insect eggs have been deposited on their leaves and will act immediately to rid themselves of the incubating menace. They may sprout carpets of tumorlike neoplasms to knock the eggs off, or secrete ovicides to kill them, or sound the S O S. Reporting in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Hilker and her coworkers determined that when a female cabbage butterfly lays her eggs on a brussels sprout plant and attaches her treasures to the leaves with tiny dabs of glue, the vigilant vegetable detects the presence of a simple additive in the glue, benzyl cyanide. Cued by the additive, the plant swiftly alters the chemistry of its leaf surface to beckon female parasitic wasps. Spying the anchored bounty, the female wasps in turn inject their eggs inside, the gestating wasps feed on the gestating butterflies, and the plants problem is solved.
Heres the lurid Edgar Allan Poetry of it: that benzyl cyanide tip-off had been donated to the female butterfly by the male during mating. Its an anti-aphrodisiac pheromone, so that the female wouldnt mate anymore, Dr. Hilker said. The male is trying to ensure his paternity, but he ends up endangering his own offspring.
Fascinating, isn't it?
I know how protective many vegetarians and vegans are of their ideologies (and some omnivores to a lesser extent) and how, eventually, this thread just may turn into a mindless battle of vegetarians vs. omnivores; however, I'd like to focus this discussion on the article provided and its contents.
Furthermore, I'd also like to deter from nutritional and political "vegan vs. omnivore" views and arguments, as this discussion should focus solely on the morality of consuming animals in its comparison to the consumption of plants, as well as the science and legitimacy of "just how alive are plants?"
So, my question is: What's the difference between consuming animals and consuming plants?
I really do hope this can be a civil discussion.
Edit to add: I was cooking burssels sprouts while writing this thread.
-Dev"
Thought this was an interesting read and wanted to share it.
This was taken from: http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread530064/pg1
