Investing Resources Increases Competitive Success

a large tree covered in moss and vines on the right, behind it a flowing river and smaller trees with moss

Biological Strategy

AskNature Team

Image: Chloe Goldale/BLM Oregon / Flickr / Some rights reserved

Regulate Reproduction or Growth

Reproduction and growth are two physiological processes that occur in all living systems. There are situations when conditions are right for both, and other situations when continuing either harms the living system because both have a very high energy cost. Reproduction and growth are unique in that both can stop until conditions improve, although stopping either for an extended time can cause problems. An example of regulating reproduction is a process called delayed implantation or embryonic diapause found in some mammals, such as otters. An otter’s embryos sometimes temporarily cease developing and won’t develop further until the female senses that conditions are suitable.

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Flowering Plants

Clade Angiosperms (“receptacle seed”): Dandelions, oaks, grasses, cacti, apples

With 416 families containing some 300,000 known species, angiosperms are the most diverse group of plants, and they can be found around the globe in a wide variety of habitats. They are characterized by seeds that grow enclosed in ovaries, which are enclosed in flowers. The floral organs then develop into fruits of myriad kinds and dimensions, from simple seed casings on maples to elaborate fleshy growths like papayas. The oldest flower known from fossils, Montsechia vidalii, appeared during the Jurassic Period 130 million years ago. They are the primary food source for herbivorous animals, which in turn makes them the indirect food source for carnivores as well.

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The investment of resources for structural support in trees allows for competitive success by prolonging the reproductive life of the organism.

“The development of the ‘tree’ habit in many different plant families must reflect a high degree of competitive success for this life form. The expenditure of materials in short supply in the production of long-lived, mechanically robust forms must confer survival benefits to such plants. Synthesis of materials for mechanical support of the plant uses resources that otherwise might have been directed towards reproduction. We see an elegant use of strengthening tissues that parallels engineering solutions. Although expensive in mechanical tissues, the tree habit prolongs the period over which an individual may produce seed; over a long period successful seed formation and germination is more likely.” (Cutler 2005:98)

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