So imagine my delight when just a couple of days later I pick up a copy of New Scientist from a few weeks back and find an article on just this very topic!
But baby plants can be mean too. The indian black plum has flowers with around 30 ovules. The first to be fertilised immediately secretes a metabolic poison which kills all the others ensuring only it develops into a seed. - Embryonic siblicidal poisoning! Mean or what! | While intense sibling rivalry is found in many species, it seems most common in predatory and sea birds. Look at the cute chick in the photo to the left. Aaaah, doesn't it look sweet? The first chick to hatch in a Nazca Boobie nest (a seabird found on the galapagos islands) throws all its younger siblings out of the nest at the first opportunity where they suffer an uncared for death. Not such a cute chick in this photo after all! |
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