Dear Plant-eds,
My students ask "What's the point of a triploid tissue?"
The thinking goes like this:-
* Triploid tissue is unique to angiosperms. True?
* Natural selection does not support a structure unless it confers some
advantage. Agreed?
* The fact that triploid tissue exists suggests that there is some
advantage. What is the advantage of a TRIPLOID endosperm?
* Does a study of angiosperms suggest that the most recent members use this
tissue less, OR do they make greater use? What is the direction that
evolution seems to be taking?
What do you think?
Or am I not looking in the right books or surfing the right URLs? (-:
John
_________________________________________________________________
| Dr. John Hewitson |
| Berrystead Barn +44 (0)1832 272 209 phone/fax |
| Oundle, |
| Peterborough, PE8 4DY, UK. e-mail John_Hewitson at compuserve.com |
|_________________________________________________________________|
(Oundle School: www.oundleit.demon.co.uk)
