5 ms·
> I eat mango (10 per year?), but I never opened the shell of the seed. I thought it was the seed. The seed can be planted with the husk, but removing it speed
by joshuaissac 5y ago
> I eat mango (10 per year?), but I never opened the shell of the seed. I thought it was the seed.
The seed can be planted with the husk, but removing it speeds up the germination because the embryo can access light and water more easily.
- samwillis 5y agoI assume they evolved to have the inedible husk to prevent damage while being eaten and increase the distance from the original tree, effectively delaying germination. (If you can describe evolution as having an intention…)
- culi 5y agoYes this is exactly it. Mangoes lost their megafaunal partners (giant sloths?) so they're evolutionary anachronisms Relevant xkcd: https://xkcd.com/1259/ https://xkcd.com/1259/
- joshuaissac 5y agoGiant sloths lived in South America, where they were the likely megafaunal partners of the avocado. The megafaunal partner of the mango is probably the elephant, which is still extant in the native range of the mango. https://blog.plover.com/bio/urushiol-2.html https://blog.plover.com/bio/urushiol-2.html
- culi 5y agoOh you're totally right. I forgot mangoes were from India. Thanks for the correction!
- leodriesch 5y agoIsn't there a movie about it, the incredible husk or something? Idk I'm not that into movies
- mikro2nd 5y agoMany seeds need a dormancy period before germinating, and frequently a husk or germination-inhibiting coating (Tomatoes) surrounds the seed as a delay mechanism: the coating/husk has to rot before the seed gets contact with soil and water. For many it's way of ensuring that seeds don't germinate at the start of Winter. For others there's a (sometimes long!) maturation process that happens within the seed (Macadamias) before they're ready to sprout. Other times the husk is there to protect the seed while it goes through the gut of some animal (often birds) so that it gets transported well away from the parent plant. Nature is pretty clever, imho.
- tyjaksn 5y agoAnother example of a seed with long germination time is the coco de mer[1], coming in at 2 years. It also happens to be the largest seed of any plant. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lodoicea https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lodoicea
- culi 5y agoOn the other end of the spectrum there are many seeds with quick germination time but extremely long dormancy periods. Some of the biggest weeds in agriculture are plants whose seeds could last multiple decades in the soil until the right conditions show up These plants usually evolve to serve a particular ecological niche. It's kinda like the soil's immune system. Exposing bare soil to direct sunlight is one of the most harmful things you can do to a soil ecosystem. So many plants evolved seeds that lay dormant until they're needed to come and protect the soil Plants like dandelions are known as major weeds, but they only germinate in soils that are too compacted (e.g. a farmland with a history of plowing). These dandelions take over, decompact the soil, and then get "outcompeted" by other plants (usually perennials with longer lifespans). I use scarequotes for competition because it's a good example of a natural system where "competition" is a lens of analyzing nature that could cause you to miss the bigger picture