RE: Re: HYB: growth problems

What was observed was natural selection in progress. When you find the
reference and read it once more, it should note that the surviving
radish plants probably had a higher amount of defensive bristles, hairs,
what ever than the untouched group. What would be interesting here,
would be if the next generation had a higher count of defensive
bristles, hairs, whatever, than the original remnants of the parent
group. I would tend to think that some would, and another generation of
survivor off spring would more clearly show the increase.

If generations of caterpillars were also followed there may be noted an
adaptation of the caterpillars to the increased defenses of the
radishes.


\\Steve// 
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-iris@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On Behalf Of
thomas silvers
Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 4:09 PM
To: iris-talk
Subject: [iris] Re: HYB: growth problems

Another thing to possibly consider is the effects the
immediate environment [of the parents] can have on the
offspring.

I'll see if I can find the reference, but until
then... from my memory of it...

I read of an experiment, where radish plants were
divided into two groups. One group was subjected to
heavy "grazing" by caterpillars, the other group was
not. Seedlings from the grazed plants had notably more
defensive hairs, etc. than the seedlings from the
ungrazed ones. Like some inherited defensive mechanism
had been turned on.

Similarly, water fleas that were exposed to predators,
gave offspring that had defensive horns on their
heads; while water fleas, in the absence of predators,
gave hornless ofspring.

Maybe this same type of adaptive thing is involved
somehow in the observation you mentioned once that
someone had made; that you'd start getting much better
seed set when you started using your own seedlings??
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