Contemplation

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Hi folks!

I'm taking a mental break from my work and happily contemplating my navel as I ponder the conundrums of life (forgive me for mixing metaphors, it is just too much fun!:).   Following Jan Smithen's excellent (if a bit esoteric!) question about the Golden Rectangle (or was it the Golden Rule?),  I think it's time for another lively discussion on medit plants about the nature of the universe.  Whatta you say?

Here is one for you: How might you explain the fact that there are so many more sun-loving flowering plants than shade-loving flowering plants?

My mind immediately goes off into theories of energetics and photosynthesis -- i.e.  it takes tremendous amounts of energy to reproduce (flower), which requires a tremendous production of energy (photosynthesis).  The more sunlight, the higher potential rates of photosynthesis, hence the more energy for reproduction and over time, the increased success of flowering plants that sprout in sunny locations.

However, this kind of simple-minded explanation begs the question as to why any plant would be able to reproduce successfully (in Darwinian terms), in the shade of, for example, the forest.  But come to think of it, temperate forests at least are not terribly floriferous -- or at least, not in terms of the very showy flowers our culture treasures for our gardens.

Am I going in circles here?    Anyone willing to bail me out?

Nan

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Nan Sterman
San Diego County California
Sunset zone 24, USDA hardiness zone 10b or 11