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Fake Flies

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science2 years ago•1 min saved

The Deceptive South African Flower That Attracts Pollinators with Fake Flies

The Gorteria diffusa, a South African daisy, produces fake lady flies on its petals to attract male flies for pollination. The petals provide an evolutionary advantage by attracting more male flies to pollinate it. The daisy's petals deceive male flies by bringing together existing genes to make a complicated spot on the petals. The group of plants that includes the sexually deceiving daisy is quite young in evolutionary terms, dating back only 1.5 to 2 million years compared to most living species.

via NDTV|

#daisy #evolution #fake-flies

biology2 years ago•4 min saved

The Deceptive Daisy's Ingenious Trick to Attract Pollinators.

Researchers have identified three sets of genes involved in building the fake fly on the daisy's petals. The "iron moving" genes add iron to the petal's normally reddish-purple pigments, changing the color to a more fly-like blue-green. The root hair genes make hairs expand on the petal to give texture. And the third set of genes make the fake flies appear in apparently random positions on the petals. The daisy's petals give it an evolutionary advantage, by attracting more male flies to pollinate it.

via Phys.org|

#biology #daisy #evolution