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alt-mswzebo t1_iy2fqew wrote

Lots of coevolution. Think about how dependent animals are on plants - not just for food but for oxygen. And plants have coevolved with Cyanobacteria symbionts to the point where we don’t even recognize chloroplasts as independent organisms…jammed into the cell with another co-evolved endosymbiont, the mitochondrIon. Co-evolution with bacterial microbiome partners provides help preventing infections in animals, and bacteria in the digestive tracts of ruminants allows them to digest cellulose.

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Izawwlgood t1_iy2imxk wrote

I think it's interesting that dogs have adapted to fulfill emotional needs as well as hunting and guard keeping needs.

But yeah, look at... Pollinators for example as coevolution. A lot of plants lost the ability to reproduce without an insect being bribed to do it for them. And that got creative and weird.

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UtetopiaSS t1_iy2nl0d wrote

Replying to Izawwlgood (#726,350)

I actually have a theory that dogs were initially trained to collect sticks and twigs for kindling, and that's why their modern day descendants continue to want to fetch and collect sticks.

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balor598 t1_iy2v7cf wrote

Don't know if this fully counts but chilli's developed spicyness to stop mammals from eating them. Mammal would chew up the seeds destroying them while birds would just pass the seeds whole and also are completely unaffected by the capsicum.

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bajan_queen_bee t1_iy3bgyo wrote

The survival of the friendliest

Watch the story about dogs on 60 minutes By Anderson Cooper

It's two parts the second is how dogs genome is helping with cancer.

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TheLostHippos t1_iy3vpi0 wrote

Replying to UtetopiaSS (#727,035)

Most modern dogs don't fetch without additional training. They play with sticks just like little kids pick up sticks and swing them around for fun. Dogs were kept around as alarm systems, pest control, and for their unbelievable sense of smell.

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YessikZiiiq t1_iy44wf6 wrote

Oak trees and squirrels is an interesting one. Red oak specifically, acorns only gestate after winter, squirrels store red oak acorns and when they eat them, tend only to eat the top of them since that part contains less tannins. The lower part of the acorn contains the actual germ. So squirrels will often gather and safely store acorns for the winter, then spread them to new location during the summer while allowing them to germinate.

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shadowyams t1_iy6myvq wrote

> It’s been suggested that humans lack an adept sense of smell because they could rely on dogs’ sense of smell

I don't think this is correct. We have a larger olfactory bulb than Neanderthals did.

There are plenty of examples of coevolution. One particularly interesting one is the relationship between leaf cutter ants and fungi. Leaf cutter ants don't actually eat the leaves they harvest; they bring their harvest back to their nests and use it as substrate to cultivate fungi, which they then feed to their larvae.

Of course, parasitism and predation can also drive coevolution. The relationship between two species doesn't have to be mutually beneficial to drive selection in both.

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marouane53 t1_iy79qop wrote

This type of evolution is often seen in species that have a close relationship, such as predator-prey, host-parasite, or mutualistic relationships. Examples of coevolution can be seen in many species, including plants, animals, and even bacteria.

One of the most well-known examples of coevolution is the relationship between flowering plants and pollinators. Flowering plants have evolved to produce nectar and pollen that attract pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. In turn, the pollinators have evolved to be more efficient at collecting nectar and pollen from the flowers. This mutualistic relationship benefits both species, as the plants are pollinated and the pollinators receive food.

Another example of coevolution can be seen in the relationship between certain species of ants and the plants they feed on. The ants have evolved to feed on the nectar and sap of certain plants, while the plants have evolved to produce nectar and sap that the ants can feed on. This relationship benefits both species, as the ants are provided with a food source and the plants are provided with additional protection from predators.

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