• Marxism-Fennekinism@lemmy.ml
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      8 months ago

      On the other hand, being useful to humans have made them some of the most widespread and successful plant species on the planet.

      • Agent641@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        Grass: is useless

        Humans: “Growing a nutritionally useless plant demonstrates that Im so wealthy I can afford to waste arable land”

        Grass: is now one of the dominant species on earth

        • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          We made grains from grass. If you let most grasses get tall enough to seed, they look like green wheat.

          Also I’m not certain, but wheat and corn may give grass a run for their money in acreage cover, if you count the wheat and corn as a single species, but count each specific grass separately.

      • Wogi@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        Being useful to humans is the single most important factor in evolutionary success rates.

        Sure, there’s 8 billion of us, but we collectively KILL 30 billion chickens every year, and there’s always more of those fuckers.

              • Wogi@lemmy.world
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                8 months ago

                If you go to Honolulu you’ll see them wandering on the streets. They’re all over the place. I think they’re seen as a nuisance? I dunno I thought they were charming.

    • xkforce@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Hallucinogens, nicotine, caffeine, all evolved for plant defense and all of them are used recreationally.

      • cynar@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        THC is a heat shock defence. The fact it has such an effect on us is purely coincidental.

        • mods_are_assholes@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          It used to also be insect deterrent but since we’ve bred cannabis to have so much lovely THC that the globules are too large and dry to work. But that’s ok because cannabis has domesticated humans enough that we’ve invented climate controlled hothouses to grow them in.

        • Nakedmole@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          Yes, that is one of the possible explanations for trichomes. However, In literature there are several potential reasons for cannabis producing THC listed, some of them are:

          -deterring certain insect and other herbivores -Anti-microbial effects -UV light protection

          Claiming that heat shock defense is the only reason seems like a simplification, considering that scientists are still researching the matter.

    • Dasus@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Lol pls.

      That’s the r-rated version.

      The true trinity is nicotine, cocaine and opiates.

      And also,

      “Animals are something invented by plants to move seeds around. An extremely yang solution to a peculiar problem which they faced.”

      — Terence McKenna